Considering how life for the average citizen isn’t prosperous in Cuba, the country does have a relatively great educational system. Cuba’s modern educational system came into play after the 1959 revolution, when Fidel Castro decided that education, more specifically the literacy rate, was to have top priory. Today, 10% of Cuba’s central budget is spent on education, compared to the 4% in the UK and 2% in the US. Prior to 1959 22% of Cubans over the age of 15 were illiterate with 60% of the country as a whole semi illiterate. After the revolution, however, advancements were made and by 2000, 97% of Cubans between the ages 15 to 24 were literate.
In present day Cuba, all children are required to attend school from ages 6 to 15 or 16 and they all wear color-coded uniforms based on the student’s grade level. Higher education, while not mandatory, is offered to those who attended pre-university secondary education, with the alternative being similar to a vocational school. All schools in Cuba are public and controlled by the government, who took over private institutions without reimbursement after the revolution. Being operated by the government, the school system teaches “strong ideological content… with the constitution stating that educational and cultural policy is based on Marxist ideology.” While the subjects students are learning about can be debated, Cuba has proven itself to be one of the most literate nations in Latin America.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Cuba
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