The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, described the work being done at the Hermanos Martínez Tamayo Vocational Pre-University Institute of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint) as "a distinct, innovative, and demanding educational model." He visited the institution this Thursday along with the Minister of the Interior and member of the Political Bureau, Army Corps General Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas.
In an emotional dialogue with students, graduates, directors and teachers of the school —the only one of its kind in the country, located in the capital municipality of Playa—, the Head of State referred to the integral training of his students, "as Fidel always asked when he developed the first concepts of the Battle of Ideas."
Díaz-Canel said he was impressed "by what you have been doing, especially because you have sustained it for years, even during these difficult times that have affected and impacted educational activity so much."
"I believe that the Ministry of the Interior, in addition to the merits and recognition it has received from our people, should also be proud to have an institution like this," he stated.
Regarding the school—always beautiful, clean, orderly, and well-painted—he considered that these are the environments to which one should aspire in an educational center, "because education is not achieved solely through knowledge of a curriculum for a subject, but rather has many components that influence, nurture, and nourish the spirit," the Cuban president said.
In the exchange that preceded the tour of the school's classrooms and laboratories, the President spoke about the need to adopt critical thinking, to achieve a well-rounded education that allows us to face life, and to have a revolutionary commitment. By being good Cuban citizens, by contributing with all our abilities to the process of socialist construction in the country.
After listening to the students' life stories, the graduates' experiences and motivations, and the professors' reflections on the teaching process, Díaz-Canel emphasized that in complex times like those the country is experiencing, with daily aggression from the empire, "talking with you, seeing your willingness, your commitment, your training, and the way you express yourselves, also reaffirms the feelings of appreciation one has for this institution." This strengthens us greatly and also gives us a lot of energy, he stressed.
He invited them to join the Community Youth Network, a new initiative by Cuban youth for working in neighborhoods, and also asked them to "study hard, delve deeper, explore history and science, because that will give you the tools, the arguments, the knowledge to develop your own thinking, a critical understanding of everything that happens around you, so that you can make truly coherent decisions."
According to what was learned during the dialogue with the students, in which the harsh reality that the nation is experiencing due to the suffocating policy of the United States government was also addressed, this visit of the Cuban President was in response to a request made to him by a student from the pre-university in a previous activity in which they coincided.
A SCHOOL THAT CONTRIBUTES MUCH
In statements to the press, Colonel Vivian Sabuquet Larrondo, director of the Minint preparatory school—as this institution is popularly known—explained that it "has an important mission: to train the future officers and personnel of the Minint, a mission we have been fulfilling for over 22 years. We have graduated more than 4,000 young people."
Many of them, she added, are now working at the Minint, and other graduates have the option of entering civilian universities. "I think the most important thing is the contribution we have made, not only to the Ministry of the Interior, but also to society."
Sabuquet Larrondo explained that the students leave the school with a well-rounded education, not only in patriotic and military training, but also because "we develop activities in physical education, culture, many sports that the students enjoy, and we also cover technological and scientific development."
Students arrive at the school between the ages of 14 and 15, graduate at 17, and benefit from the positive influence of their teachers, who are highly experienced not only in their subjects but also in their sensitivity and values, she noted.
They learn habits of coexistence, discipline, and work ethic, the director added, and solidarity, humanism, patriotism, and other values are instilled, with the invaluable support of their families.
