[NYTr] School Year Opens in Cuba
 
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 17:12:19 -0500 (CDT)


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Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN)
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School Year Opens in Cuba

Habana, Sept 4 (acn) Cuba began 2007/2008 school on Monday with an 
inaugural ceremony in Havana where Education Minister Luis Ignacio 
Gomez spoke about the learning opportunities offered to children and 
young people throughout the country.

The Cuban official explained how the Revolution's programs allow for 
developing an education tailored to the individual needs of each 
student, reports Granma newspaper.

Gomez informed that at the elementary school level, the average number 
of students in the classroom this year is 18.6 in urban areas and 10.4 
in rural areas. At the junior high-school level, there is one teacher 
for every 15 students nationwide.

The minister noted that 13,327 new graduates from the art instructor 
schools have joined the teaching staff at schools around the country. 
He also explained that there is a commitment to provide 29-inch 
big-screen TV sets in each classroom and to increase the supply of 
sports equipment in schools.

This academic year, school-related materials are at an unprecedented 
high.  Twenty-four million books are being distributed free of charge 
at all educational levels, assuring that each and every student has 
their own book for every subject.

Gomez said the incorporation of new teachers in recent years made 
possible the drop in class size, a goal for better, more personalized 
education. He added that 5,580 student teachers have recently graduated 
at the university level school of pedagogy and have been working under 
the supervision of experienced teachers while finishing their own 
studies.

Luis Ignacio Gomez spoke about the free access to higher education 
enjoyed by all Cubans and noted that 774,000 students are enrolled this 
year at universities and higher education institutes throughout the 
nation.

Gomez noted that while in Latin America only 29 percent of high school 
grads are able to go on to university, in Cuba the figure has reached 
69.9 percent.

The ceremony officially opening the 2007/2008 school year was attended 
by Communist Party Politburo members Pedro Saez Montejo and Abel Prieto 
(also the minister of Culture), and Communist Party Secretariat member 
Mercedes Lopez Acea.
 
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