The 2026-2027 school year will begin on September 1st in Cuba, but under different conditions than usual. The Ministry of Education's (MINED) priority will be to guarantee the continuity of the educational process and protect the right to education, through responses tailored to the possibilities of each region, institution, and community.
This was explained by Naima Trujillo Barreto, Minister of Education, during a press conference this Thursday, in which she detailed the main conditions under which the new school year will take place.
The education system will serve an enrollment of approximately 1,400,000 children and adolescents at different levels of education. At the same time, it will have to follow up with those who became disengaged from their institutions during the previous school year and received alternative support.
During the previous period, between 17,000 and 23,000 students had to remain further away from their schools. For this academic year, a response plan was developed for approximately 17,000 students, while around 400 to 500 children will remain under exceptional support conditions.
The minister indicated that the goal is for the new academic year to have a higher level of in-person attendance than the previous one, although it will not be the same as before the difficulties that began to worsen in February of this year.
MORE IN-PERSON LEARNING, BUT WITH A DIFFERENT SCHOOL MODEL
In-person learning is a priority for the age groups served by General Education, explained Trujillo Barreto. Students at these levels do not yet have the same degree of autonomy in their learning as those in Higher Education, so direct contact with their teachers and classmates is essential.
However, she added, current conditions require organizing the process differently. There will be breaks at certain times, intensive remedial sessions, and closures within each of the three periods that make up the school year.
The organization will also vary. Some institutions will be able to maintain double sessions every day, while others will do so on certain days of the week. In other cases, it will be necessary to modify entry times or the frequency with which students remain at the schools.
The definition of these variations, the Minister clarified, will take into account transportation, accommodation, food, teacher availability, and the characteristics of each community.
She commented that, between September 1st and 7th, the school calendar includes days of reflection on the educational project, with the participation of families and pioneer organizations. The intention is for each institution to develop and share a proposal tailored to its specific circumstances, she stated.
The minister summarized this concept by noting that "no two institutions have to be alike, because communities are not all the same. What will be common are the educational aspirations at each level," while the paths to achieving them may vary.
ON THE REORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL NETWORK
Transportation will be one of the main factors in determining how each institution will operate, given that some students and teachers must travel long distances to reach their schools. Therefore, decisions regarding the school network will not be applied as a one-size-fits-all solution, stated the country's Minister of Education.
The reorganization of the network will continue, but decisions that could create greater difficulties related to transportation or food will be postponed. The goal is to make better use of existing resources without creating new barriers to access to education.
There will also be changes to the scholarship system. Students who live far from secondary and pre-university institutions will be able to stay at their schools for certain periods, although their commutes home will have to be less frequent.
Some teachers have also agreed to stay with their students for several days, even up to a week or two, depending on the conditions in each area.
Food is another major concern. Basic conditions are guaranteed in the semi-residential and residential schools that are beginning operations, although coverage varies across different regions. Some centers have resources for 15 days, others for 20, and still others are receiving supplies.
To ensure these resources are available, a more stable relationship has been sought with the state and non-state business sectors. As the minister explained, those who previously supported certain processes on a case-by-case basis are now assuming commitments established through contractual agreements.
Food conditions will also determine the schedule at each center. In some places, double sessions can be maintained; in others, it will be necessary to reduce or modify them. School snacks will also not necessarily be provided in the same way across all regions.
SCHOOL UNIFORMS
School uniforms will not be available for all students on the first day of classes, Trujillo Barreto acknowledged.
The industry reached August with approximately 12% production for primary school uniforms and slightly more for secondary school uniforms. "Electricity problems, the transportation of fabrics, and limitations on importing supplies have affected production," she said.
Faced with this situation, existing inventories in domestic trade warehouses, production in workshops, and community participation have been used. In some areas, additional sewing sessions have been scheduled, and students have also been sewing at home.
Priority was given to preschool and seventh grade, although the minister acknowledged that even at these levels, not all students will have a complete uniform when classes begin.
Production will continue during September and October, and funding has been approved to ensure its continuation.
In the meantime, students may wear their headscarves—in the case of primary school—even without the uniform. Schools must be flexible and cannot impose specific color combinations or clothing requirements on students who do not have the required uniforms.
For children and adolescents in more vulnerable situations, alternative solutions will be explored to ensure their uniform and footwear needs are met.
The directive is clear: "No student should be denied school for lacking the uniform," stated the Minister of Education.
LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND
Differentiated support will be a key feature of the school year. The Ministry of Education has identified specific situations in different regions and communities to determine each student's needs. Some will require guaranteed daily transportation; others will need additional support with meals, and some will need to adjust their school start time.
The Minister emphasized that the principle of leaving no one behind must become a concrete response.
Special education schools will maintain particular priority. Specialized support will also be provided to foster care centers, homes for children without parental care, and residential centers.
In the case of Special Education, support for students with diverse needs will continue, and, where possible, transitional options to mainstream education will be implemented. Schools for students with intellectual disabilities in municipalities are organized, in almost every part of the country, to begin their activities.
Three regional schools for students with physical disabilities remained open until the end of the previous school year. The plan for this period is to maintain that priority.
This means that the situation of children without parental care is also a specific concern. The Ministry has reviewed their feeding and care conditions, while also working to ensure energy support during particularly sensitive times, such as feeding and rest.
TEACHERS: REORGANIZING THE AVAILABLE WORKFORCE
Teacher coverage remains one of the main challenges. Currently, Cuba has 73% total coverage with trained permanent staff, the minister explained. The remaining areas are being addressed through various means.
The situation is not uniform. Havana presents one of the most complex scenarios, while some provinces have greater capacity for readjustment. In Camaguey, for example, the coverage of mathematics teachers has been particularly difficult.
In the eastern provinces, there are also varying situations, and in some areas, there are reserves available to reorganize the teaching force.
To address the shortage, Resolution 10 will continue to be applied, which allows for the remuneration of additional teaching load assumed by teachers. Schools and faculty are also being restructured, and university students and professionals from other sectors who are not currently engaged in their regular teaching activities are being incorporated into the teaching profession.
BOOKS, MATERIALS, AND DIGITAL SUPPORT
One of the announcements made during the conference was that in September, teachers and families will receive the books for all grade levels of the Third Improvement Program, in addition to essential materials such as notebooks and pencils.
Trujillo Barreto emphasized that they will continue working on digital support in conjunction with the Ministry of Communications, although current connectivity limitations prevent them from having the same resources as before.
The CubaEduca platform will continue to be part of these resources, and content related to respectful parenting and the identification and reporting of vulnerable situations will be added.
TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND CONTINUITY OF STUDIES
Technical and Vocational Education will undergo a special renewal and monitoring process, given that its students begin training linked to their future entry into the workforce in ninth grade.
Furthermore, the Ministry will maintain coordination with Higher Education to ensure a detailed report on students entering their first year of university.
Specifically, information will be provided on students who were unable to complete twelfth grade under normal circumstances, as well as their exam and competition results.
Students who graduated from secondary or pre-university with a perfect score and those with outstanding results in international olympiads will also be considered. The Minister reported that nearly 70% of Cuban students participating in science olympiads won medals.
The intention is that this information will allow universities and other institutions to provide differentiated support during the first year of study.
The Pre-University Vocational Institutes of Exact Sciences will reopen nationwide, but not all will begin in-person classes on September 1st: some will start a week later and others two weeks later, depending on transportation and organizational conditions.
In certain centers, the frequency of shuttle services to and from school will also change.
A SCHOOL YEAR THAT MUST BE SUSTAINED UNDER DIFFICULT CONDITIONS
The Minister acknowledged that the conditions under which this school year will begin will affect the overall quality of the educational services that the country has traditionally offered.
The goal, she said, is to minimize this impact through flexible decisions, differentiated responses, and ongoing evaluation of what happens in each institution.
To achieve this, greater participation from families and communities will be necessary. The educational project must be built with the resources available in each setting and leverage the capabilities of teachers, students, professionals, and other members of the community.
The Ministry will continue to evaluate the responses throughout the school year and adjust them as needed.
The priority, Trujillo Barreto emphasized, will be to ensure that these difficulties do not prevent children and adolescents from accessing their education system and that, even under different circumstances, they can maintain a quality education.
