THE STATE OF EDUCATION IN SANTIAGO DE CUBA
By M. Ortega, Turquino office, Cuban Independent Press Agency (APIC).

SANTIAGO DE CUBA.- August 7, 1996 (APIC).- After the speech delivered by Raul Castro in April of the current year, in which he criticized every sector in the country, it can be stated that the speech marked the beginning of a new wave of repression in the education sector. They activated and forced professors to begin their lessons within the framework of the official policy. The so called "guidance professor" has to give a lesson which is strictly political, in which the students express "what they think about current topics, such as the self employed, taxes, the paladares (home restaurants), etc." In these groups you can always find extremist students, who exert pressure so that the professor or the students, don't speak the truth. But even then, there have been some critical and strongly worded statements, and they always try to end such sessions by re-stating what they want to be stated.

In every university in this city, during the month of April, they had a visit from the national directorate. Every professor attempted to present their daily lesson plans, to raise the scientific level of the courses, but they were dissappointed when they learned that the real reason for the inspection was to research the ideological problems of the students and their professors, to guide them, to link the content of their lessons with the current policy, in the end, the same as in other levels. (of society)

In the Construction Faculty they forced the professors to belong to the MTT of the university, towards the end of keeping them under control. All of this has made a good many professors to feel dissappointed by the current policy.

What is the reality for these high school professors? They are being subtly pressured, and on specific ocassions when they have been forced to attend the marches against the blockade, etc. To maintain their integrity as professors, they must pay MTT, keep "worker's watches, pay the sindicate, participate in the sindicate's activities, the student's activities, in the end, in every activity which they are called upon to participate, because all of this is taken into account when they select an "outstanding professor".

They have been guided to include, as part of their education duties, that they must talk to their students about important dates for the revolution, and "to be clean" politically, to clear them up, just in case they decide to speak against the present official policy. In their evaluations many parameters are included: their work as teachers, investigation, ideological duties, methodological duties, their advanced studies, and they also keep a record of their political views and participation in the student's work brigades, their payment to MTT, sindicate activities, membership in the FEU (Cuban Federation of Students), etc. These evaluations are each reviewed by the dean, and are prepared by the department head, PCC, UJC. (Cuban Communist Party, and the Union of Communist Youths).

To study abroad they take into account whether or not the applicant has had ideological and political problems. But they also take into account other things, since those in charge of security at the worksite have a solid control over those who practice a religion, etc. and even when they don't comment about this, you feel the repression, because they will deny a Master's, a change of status, in other words, they'll close the doors on you. These pressures, subtle or overt, show the extent of the concern, at the highest levels, in regards to the Cuban youth, which by the day want to know less and less about revolutionary slogans.

Translated for CubaNet by Lourdes Arriete