| Historically, Cuba has had some of the | | | | During this period Protestant schools were |
| highest rates of education and literacy in | | | | built "to convert Catholics to evangelical |
| Latin America, both before and after the | | | | Christianity to bring them in line with |
| revolution. All education is free to Cuban | | | | American ideas". |
| citizens including university education. | | | | |
| Private educational institutions are not | | | | Despite the institution of compulsory |
| permitted. School attendance is compulsory | | | | education for all children written into the |
| from ages six to sixteen and all students, | | | | Cuban constitution of 1940, Cuban education |
| regardless of age or gender, wear school | | | | after independence was characterized by gross |
| uniforms with the color denoting grade level. | | | | inequalities regarding access to resources |
| Primary education lasts for six years, | | | | and educational opportunities. These were |
| secondary education is divided into basic and | | | | most marked in the contrast between education |
| pre-university education. Higher education is | | | | in the cities and in rural areas. In 1958 one |
| provided by universities, higher institutes, | | | | million people were still completely |
| higher pedagogical institutes, and higher | | | | illiterate and more than one million |
| polytechnic institutes. The Cuban Ministry of | | | | semi-illiterate, also 600,000 children went |
| Higher Education also operates a scheme of | | | | without schooling at all. According to |
| Distance Education which provides regular | | | | historian Hugh Thomas, "Cuban society had |
| afternoon and evening courses in rural areas | | | | become stagnent, fewer children |
| for agricultural workers. The University of | | | | proportionately of school age went to school |
| Havana was founded in 1728 and there are a | | | | in the 1950s than the 1920s." |
| number of other well established colleges and | | | | |
| universities. | | | | In 1961, the Cuban government embarked on a |
| | | | nationwide campaign to tackle illiteracy |
| Education in Cuba is nominally free at all | | | | among its citizens. More than 100,000 student |
| levels and controlled by the Cuban Ministry | | | | volunteers, almost all between the ages of |
| for Education. In 1961 the government | | | | ten and nineteen, traveled throughout the |
| nationalized all private educational | | | | country to teach reading and writing. The |
| institutions and introduced a state-directed | | | | volunteers became known as the "literacy |
| education system. There are no tuition fees | | | | brigadistas", parental permission was |
| paid by school or university students and | | | | required and each student was provided with a |
| private schools or private universities are | | | | weeks training, a special uniform and oil |
| not permitted. Education expenditures | | | | lamp with which to travel in the countryside |
| continue to receive high priority. | | | | at night. The venture did not go without its |
| Nevertheless, the economic upheaval after | | | | perils as young teachers became a target for |
| 1991, known as the Special Period, strained | | | | counter-revolutionaries, several were killed |
| Cuba's long-standing efforts to ensure access | | | | in rural regions. According to Cuban |
| to quality educational services. The system | | | | government statistics, during the year-long |
| has been criticized for political | | | | national effort 707,212 people became |
| indoctrination and for monitoring the | | | | literate, or achieved a level of reading and |
| political opinions of the students which may | | | | writing equivalent to that of a first-grader. |
| have lifelong consequences. | | | | Cuba's overall illiteracy rate was reduced |
| | | | from over 20 percent in 1958 to 3.9 percent |
| During the United States occupation of Cuba | | | | after the literacy drive of 1961, a rate far |
| 1898-1902, Cuban education was organised | | | | lower than that of any other Latin American |
| along American lines. U.S. President William | | | | country at the time. Before 1959 over 40% of |
| McKinley requested to Governor Leonard Wood | | | | children did not go to school, by 1961 all |
| that Cuba be given "a good school system". | | | | but 20% did, an achievement made possible by |
| Wood adapted the Spanish school system to run | | | | the increase in teachers in rural areas, many |
| along American lines, translating textbooks | | | | of whom had been hastily trained at San |
| into Spanish and sending Cuban teachers to | | | | Lorenzo in the Sierra Maestra |
| learn American teaching methods in the U.S. | | | | |