Following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Oscar and Rafael on the eastern and western regions of the country, alongside ongoing seismic activity in the eastern area and a persistent energy crisis, the Cuban government has restarted the school year. Cira Piñeiro Alonso, the First Deputy Minister of Education, announced in the province of Granma that classes resumed on Monday across most educational institutions in Cuba.
Piñeiro clarified that in Havana and Mayabeque, only the schools prepared to accommodate students would open, while provinces that have returned to normalcy began their activities without issue, as reported by Granma. Despite the optimistic rhetoric, Piñeiro acknowledged that in Artemisa, schools will gradually reopen as electricity and water services, severely disrupted in the province, are restored.
Moreover, she admitted that not all schools are in suitable conditions, necessitating that each institution improvise necessary alternatives to commence classes, according to Granma. In Artemisa, heavily impacted by Hurricane Rafael, a staggering 228 schools suffered damage, accounting for 59.8% of the area's institutions. Piñeiro added that Havana and Mayabeque also experienced significant losses, with 88 and 22 schools affected, respectively.
Still, Piñeiro maintained that conditions are set to restart the school year, despite major damages to roofs, carpentry, and fallen trees that compromised several school structures. Pinar del Río, where some areas experienced over 120 continuous hours of power outages, also resumed classes.
Despite these challenges, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the Cuban leader, lauded the reopening of schools on social media as a "revolutionary achievement" of the government, stating, "Today we managed to resume classes in most Cuban schools and universities that had been suspended due to the hurricanes." In his address, he praised the efforts of "teachers, workers, families, and students who contributed to the recovery."
Eastern Cuba's Resilient Return to Education
In eastern Cuba, impacted by Hurricane Oscar and two major earthquakes, alongside aftershocks that keep authorities on edge, the school year remained a platform for praise and slogans. The official newspaper Venceremos reported on Facebook that the school reopening ceremony took place at the Julio A. Delgado Reyes Primary School in Macambo, "one of the facilities revitalized in record time after Hurricane Oscar hit San Antonio del Sur."
Furthermore, they noted that over 87,180 students from various educational levels resumed classes this Monday across the province, "following interruptions caused by the threat of rains during Hurricane Rafael's passage, which forced the evacuation of much of the eastern Guantanamo population."
However, according to the news portal, out of the 887 scattered schools in the Guantánamo province, "approximately 185 were affected by Oscar, and to date, 156 have been restored, with 23 operating in alternative locations."