![]() ![]() The Castro government claims that during Batista’s tenure, there were less than 6,300 physicians in Cuba. The government statistics concerning health care in pre-Revolutionary Cuba are at odds with the numbers reported by the United Nations. Today, about 12 percent of the government budget is allocated to health care and there are 20 medical schools in Cuba. He has succeeded in these goals in certain regards. In 1978, Castro aimed to put a doctor on every street in Cuba and become a world leader in medicine. Due to this lack of opportunity, Cuba experiences a brain drain, particularly with doctors, many of who leave the island and accept positions in the U.S.įrom the outset, health care has been a priority for the Castro government. It’s not uncommon to find engineers or lawyers working in tourism-they can make much more money from tips than they ever could on a government payroll. What’s more, many schools lack libraries and laboratories.Ĭuba’s hyper-educated population often lacks employment options for their line of work either there aren’t jobs available or the pay is too low. Books – especially those that run counter to the ideals of the Revolution – are tough to come by, and the Internet is too expensive for most people. Students are monitored for political persuasion, and only those who openly support the Revolution are allowed to enter higher education. In Cuban schools, only politically acceptable content is allowed. In order to attend university, however, high school students must not only have good grades, but must also be deemed socially and politically acceptable in the eyes of the government. Artistically, musically, or athletically gifted students have the possibility of attending specialist schools. About 60 percent end up studying at a technical school, while the remaining 40 percent will start two years at a pre-university. In 2004, the Cuban government claimed to have achieved a student–teacher ratio of 12:1.There are no religious or private schools in Cuba.Īt the age of 15, students in secondary schools are evaluated and guided towards certain educational tracks. Schools were also created for the blind, mute, and deaf. Within two years of the Revolution, the government had added 10,000 classrooms to Cuba and nearly doubled the number of elementary schools. The war on illiteracy began in 1961, when 120,000 literacy workers fanned out across Cuba with the mission of teaching reading and writing to illiterate Cubans. This rate is better than any other country in Latin America and several points better than the United States, which has a literacy rate of 96 percent. Regardless, these days nearly one in 15 people have graduated from college and the literacy rate is at 99.8 percent. Cuba’s government figures, however, claim that just 57 percent of the population was literate and that 500,000 children did not attend school. Statistical Yearbook argues that prior to the Revolution, up to 80 percent of the Cuban population was literate. ![]() The statistics on this, however, are a bit confusing. EducationĬuba has a solid education system, and it’s often said that this is because of the Revolution. Other concrete apartments are in disrepair but still inhabited. ![]() Concrete apartments reminiscent of the Eastern Bloc were built in rural and urban areas - today, many of these apartments stand vacant in the wake of a weakened sugar industry. Fidel’s movement depended on the support of farmer campesinos, and after he rose to power, he worked to develop the Cuban countryside. A 1953 census indicated that 85 percent of rural houses lacked piped water, 43 percent lacked electricity, and 54 percent lacked a toilet. This left the Cuban countryside without basic infrastructure and facilities. Prior to the Revolution, government funds were largely funneled towards urban centers. These days, Cubans lack many necessities, including both material items and individual freedoms. Things worked out well enough until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the so-called Special Period that followed, during which time there was widespread famine and the average Cuban lost 20 pounds. In return, however, Cubans were required to surrender freedoms and were forced to rely on the government to meet their basic needs. Education got better and health care improved, and employment was extended to nearly all citizens. It extended food and housing essentials to everyone, and eliminated the worst problems of poverty from the island. There’s no doubt that the Revolution improved life for many Cubans. ![]()
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