Recent photographs of the Bungo 9 high school, situated in the Bungo settlement of Contramaestre municipality, Santiago de Cuba province, reveal a multi-story building with glassless windows, walls marred by moisture, exposed concrete, and unchecked vegetation. These are the haunting signs of neglect that have deeply affected those who spent their formative years there.
Author Arnoldo Fernández captured the current state of the institution in a publication that showcases both the images of decay and his personal connection to the place: his aunt Maira attended the school in the 1970s, and the friendships she formed there—Bárbara and Loli, her classmates—became integral to their family’s story.
“Back in the 1970s, Bungo 9 was more than just a school; it was a meeting point, a space where enduring friendships were forged and each day left a mark,” Fernández wrote.
Fernández visited the school multiple times and spoke with one of its former directors, known as Canal, which gave him a deeper insight into a story he already knew from family tales.
“Seeing the images of its deterioration today is painful in a way that's hard to articulate. It’s not just the loss of a physical structure, but the symbolic fading of a place that meant so much to so many lives,” noted Fernández.
The Rise and Fall of the IPUEC System
Bungo 9 was part of the network of Rural Pre-University Institutes (IPUEC), boarding schools where students combined academic education with agricultural work. At its peak, Cuba boasted around 350 IPUEC and 1,400 rural basic secondary schools. The Bungos in Contramaestre—Bungo 5, 6, 7, and 9, among others—illustrate the extent of this system in the region.
The dismantling of this model started in 2009 with the gradual closure of internal scholarships and became official in 2011 when Communist Party Guideline 148 acknowledged that students weren't producing enough to justify the model's costs. By 2018, most of these centers had been transformed into housing for workers, self-sustaining farms, or left as ghost towns.
A Symbol of a Broader Crisis
The decline of Bungo 9 is not an isolated incident. Other iconic IPUEC like Sanguily 1 are now seen as ruins in videos circulating on social media, and institutions such as the IPVCE Carlos Marx in Matanzas or the Lenin Vocational School in Havana have been documented as abandoned and vandalized.
This collapse is part of a larger educational crisis: the UN estimated in April 2026 that nearly half a million Cuban children and adolescents attend shortened school days due to the energy crisis, and the 2025-2026 academic year began with a shortage of about 24,000 teachers, as acknowledged by the Minister of Education herself.
“Bungo 9 may not be the same, but in the memories of those who experienced it, it remains intact. In some way, Maira, Bárbara, Loli, and all who made their school years a shared story still resist being forgotten,” Fernández concluded.
Understanding the Educational Decline in Cuba
What caused the decline of Bungo 9?
The decline of Bungo 9 results from years of neglect and the broader dismantling of the IPUEC model, which was deemed financially unsustainable by the Cuban government.
How did the IPUEC system impact Cuban education?
The IPUEC system combined academic learning with agricultural work, aiming to produce self-sustaining, well-rounded students. However, financial inefficiencies led to its decline and eventual closure.
What is the current state of education in Cuba?
Cuban education is facing a crisis, with shortened school days due to energy shortages and a significant deficit of teachers, affecting the quality of education available to students.