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• Politics and Government
• 07 / 23 / 2008

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A forceful and convincing argument presented to parliament by the Cuban president, Raul Castro, brought to light the need to solve the current deficit of teachers, preferably from the within each province rather than bringing in teachers from other provinces.

In his strategic speech, the Cuban Head of State referred to recent difficulties when the country was forced to bring tens of thousands of young teachers from other provinces to the capital, particularly from the east of the country, to cover the shortage.

President, Raul Castro was alluding to a latent problem in Cuba's education sector-the mass exodus of teachers throughout the years of economic crisis, which still affects the country today.

Among the causes of the teacher shortage lie the aging population, as well as low salaries, problems with transportation and the lure of more attractive employment in emerging sectors of the economy.

In a short-term solution, the government turned to the mass mobilization of young people as trainee teachers, fundamentally in Havana City where the shortage was worst. Undoubtedly, teachers need more time to train to the required levels.

Educating the new generation is a vital to socialism because the aim is to foster patriotism and values of honesty, solidarity and respect for others, as well as to provide a high level of academic education.

The country has faced numerous difficulties in fullfilling the complex aim of providing free education, but not a single school closed during the economic crisis, and the majority of school buildings have been repaired and restored over recent years.

Parents and the society in general are proud of the international recognition of Cuba's primary education, by organisations like UNESCO.

They trust the new generation of teachers to provide a humanitarian education but at the same time, there is a need for highly qualified, professional teachers. Young teachers need experienced tutors to fully develop.

For this reason, Raul Castro presented a government initiative calling on retired teachers still in good physical condition to return to work, with the incentive of keeping their pension while also earning a full salary.

Persuading retired teachers to return to work is a difficult but worthwhile goal for Cuba today.

(RHC)