Teacher shortage eases in Cuba

Teacher shortage eases in Cuba
Published September 01, 2015 EFE

Cuba begins Tuesday its 2015-2016 school year with 95.2 percent of the
desired number of teachers, up from 93 percent last year, to staff a
system of more than 10,300 schools and roughly 2 million students.

The increased teaching staff is due to the incorporation of some 6,000
graduates from teaching institutes, together with 3,000 retired teachers
and young professionals in training who will give classes at
universities, official media said.

For the rest of the students, "different alternatives" will be applied,
including "contingents of teachers from other provinces" and the
collaboration of university students with other degrees, the daily
Juventud Rebelde said.

For the 2015-2016 school year, enrollment in grades 1-12 in Cuba tops
1.7 million students, while some 1,700 take up their higher education
this Tuesday at the 23 universities around the country.

Education Minister Ena Elsa Velazquez has said in several interviews
that this school year will see "greater organization" and "better
optimization" of the resources allotted by the government.

Velazquez also said that 78 million pesos ($3.12 million) were allocated
for improving the physical plant of 1,800 schools and daycare centers,
while in the universities some 20 million pesos ($800,000) have been
invested in repairs and maintenance.

Bringing technology into the schools is another priority of the Cuban
government, which for the 2015-2016 school year has imported 3,900 new
computers for general education and 1,700 for higher education.

Connections to the Internet and the Cuban Intranet will also be
increased this year in schools with the installation of connections by
optic fiber and Wi-Fi, Education Ministry officials said.

As is traditional in Cuba, the beginning of the school year is a festive
occasion with celebrations being held at many educational institutes.

Universal free education is one of the banner achievements of the Cuban
Revolution, though for several years the shortage of teachers and the
low quality of classes have been causes for concern on the island. EFE

Source: Teacher shortage eases in Cuba | Fox News Latino -
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2015/09/01/teacher-shortage-eases-in-cuba/