The province of Matanzas is implementing substantial changes in the evaluation system across all educational levels as it concludes the 2025-2026 school year. This shift comes as a direct response to the fuel shortage that has plagued Cuba since January.
Officials from the Provincial Education Directorate shared their strategies with the official provincial newspaper, Girón.
Ariel Luis Surí, head of Basic Education, and Nicasio Comas Vázquez, director of Upper Secondary Education, indicated that the academic year will still end in July as planned by the Ministry of Education. However, adaptations impacting students from primary to pre-university levels are being made.
The ongoing fuel crisis, part of a broader energy dilemma, necessitated a reevaluation process for over 90,000 students enrolled in Matanzas' 504 educational facilities.
Primary School Adjustments
In Primary Education, several subjects are replacing final exams with systematic evaluations or practical assignments. Students in second and fourth grades will not undergo traditional assessments.
Neither fifth nor sixth graders will face final exams; for fifth graders, subjects like Natural Sciences and Geography will conclude with integrated practical work, while Spanish Language and Mathematics will be assessed through partial control assignments. "The content is based on the third period as previous material was evaluated without issues," Surí clarified.
Secondary Education Changes
In Basic Secondary Education, subjects such as Labor Education, Computer Science, Physical Education, and Artistic Education finalized their grades by March.
Mathematics, Spanish-Literature, and Cuban History will still have written finals, whereas Biology and Geography will end with a joint integrative seminar. Chemistry and Physics will conclude with separate seminars.
Impact on Pre-University Admissions
One of the most significant changes is the alteration in the admission process to the Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE): entrance exams have been eliminated, replaced by a municipal ranking system.
Other requirements remain, including direct admission for winners of provincial science contests.
Upper Secondary Education Adjustments
Twelve graders have been concentrated at the René Fraga Moreno Provincial Pedagogical School to prepare for postponed final exams in Mathematics, Spanish, and History, now slated for June.
Students in tenth and eleventh grades with poor attendance were also transferred to this facility starting April 20 to level out the curriculum. "We combined efforts to design differentiated attention," Comas Vázquez explained.
In pre-university, the final Physics exam for tenth graders is replaced by a problem-solving practical assignment, and Biology for eleventh graders by an equivalent practical task.
The scenario in Matanzas presents a stark contrast to Havana, where classes were suspended in all educational institutions in March due to the electricity crisis.
Matanzas opted for unique strategies to ensure educational continuity, now reaching its final stage with these evaluative adjustments.
The motivating fuel crisis worsened after the Venezuelan supply was cut off and the February fire at the Nico López refinery.
Cuban university students have also appealed for solutions due to the indefinite suspension of in-person classes imposed by the Ministry of Higher Education since that month. In April, the United Nations reported a systemic humanitarian impact, initiating an assistance plan for two million people across 63 municipalities in eight provinces.
Understanding the Educational Changes in Matanzas
Why are schools in Matanzas changing their evaluation methods?
The change is due to a severe fuel shortage affecting Cuba since January, impacting the traditional educational processes and necessitating alternative evaluation methods.
What are the new evaluation methods being implemented?
In primary education, final exams are being replaced with systematic evaluations and practical assignments. In secondary education, certain subjects will use integrative seminars instead of written finals.
How has the crisis affected pre-university admissions?
The admission process to the Vocational Pre-University Institute of Exact Sciences (IPVCE) has been modified by removing entrance exams and implementing a municipal ranking system.