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