[NYTr] Cuba First in Latin Amer to Meet Education Goals Set in 2000 World Forum Date: Sun, 23 Dec 2007 20:41:44 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Granma Daily - Dec 22, 2007 http://www.granma.cubaweb.cu/english/news/art30.html A Never-Ending Odyssey ALBERTO NUNEZ BETANCOURT Cuba is making news once again with regard to education, as several newspaper headlines acknowledged the island as the first Latin American nation to fulfill the Education for All Program, approved by 164 countries at the World Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, in 2000. A new report by the United Nations Education, Science, and Culture Organization (UNESCO) reveals that Cuba placed 23 in the world on a list that includes Argentina (27), Chile (37) and Mexico (48) as the other Latin American nations in the top 50. Four fundamental indicators were evaluated to measure progress in the fulfillment of the goals set out to be achieved: access to free and quality elementary education for all, a 50 percent increase in adult literacy levels, discouraging sexual discrimination, and the improvement of the quality of education. Cuba has far exceeded these and other parameters, which are part of the goal of providing all the earthbs inhabitants with basic education by the year 2015. The formula is precise: political will and intelligence have combined to preserve educational achievements, to add others, and mechanisms implemented to dealt with current problems in a sector that has always enjoyed state and social priority. THE ROAD TAKEN A pencil, a reader, a manual and gas lamp in hand, in addition to an immense will to defeat ignorance: Thatbs how this never-ending odyssey began. Cuban President Fidel Castro had already warned the world during his historic speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, 1960: "The aim of our people is to wage a great battle against illiteracy, with the ambitious goal of teaching every illiterate on the island how to read and write next year and, with that purpose in mind, organizations made up of teachers, students, and workers, that is, the entire people, are getting ready for an intense campaign, and Cuba will be the first country in Latin America that, in a few months, will be able to day it doesnbt have a single illiterate." Shortly after, an army of mostly young people set off to all corners of the archipelago. Its members found, in that new task of the revolution, their battle in the Sierra Maestra. The figure of one million illiterates began its countdown, until it reached a minimum. Once this feat was achieved, a UNESCO report, released by officials that made up a mission to analyze the methods used in Cuba to eradicate illiteracy, included this statement: "The campaign was not a miracle, but a difficult victory obtained by way of hard work, excellent technique and organization." In those days, scarcely a few hours after announcing Melena del Sur as the first illiteracy-free territory, the commander-in-chief made it clear, "To eradicate illiteracy was only a first step, new battles will follow." The maxim of Cuban National Hero Jose Marti, "To educate is to prepare man for life," was followed. Then, volunteer teachers were trained and educational services were extended to the entire country. The motivation of shedding light on ignorance, of bringing education to people in the most remote areas of the island, made it possible for a large number of adolescents to join the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Teaching Brigade. Other organizations and institutions emerged: The Ernesto Che Guevara and Augusto Cesar Sandino contingents of internationalist teachers, boarding schools, schools in the countryside, and vocational institutes. The teaching program for workers and students represented an opportunity associated with the campaigns to raise educational levels to sixth grade first, and later on to ninth. Cuba was turned into a giant classroom, but it wasnbt enough. CURRENT BATTLES Deputy Minister of Education Rolando Forneiro Rodriguez highly values the work of Cuban teachers, because despite the several material difficulties that exist, they work hard and are self sacrificing. They see their profession as an essential duty in favour of social development, that deserves respect and admiration, he explains. "The lack of teachers is evident across certain educational levels and places. We are working non-stop to reverse this situation. We shouldnbt forget that our aspiration to achieve higher quality education demands efforts. Perhaps the best example is the national ration of 1 teacher per every 20 students in elementary school, and 1 per every 15 in junior high," said the deputy minister. Forneiro Rodriguez also said that a qualitative change will take place over the next few years, when newly trained teachers gain experience, and the changes put into practice bear the expected fruit: more quality education levels for students. "There are reasons to work with optimism. More than ever, students are the center of attention, and we already have the necessary conditions: school materials, including texts, software, videos, television classes and, more importantly, the devotion of teachers." The indexes shown by Cuba in the field of education are quite astonishing, since they are common to First World nations. Today, public expenditure in this sphere, as a percentage of the GDP, is around 10 percent -- the highest among countries in the region, and registration rates for primary school exceed 95 percent, meeting the UN Millennium Objectives. The revolutionbs philosophy has always been that of offering solidarity in various fronts to Third World nations. Thus, over the last few years, the Cuban "Yes I Can" literacy program has been applied in more than 15 countries, and has already benefited more than 2 million people. Encouraging results, which confirm the right of all Cubans to education, have been obtained with the program to universalize higher education. To this end, so far there are 3,150 Municipal university faculties with some 747,564 students enrolled. * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================