US Economic Blockade Attacks Cuban Education

The economic, trade and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States more than half a century ago, attacks the education sector in the Caribbean island.

Education is a inalienable right of all Cubans along their lives, and it is a fundamental principle of the Revolution, reflected in the Article 39 of the Constitution, says the report called “Need to Put an End to the Economic, Trade and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States of America on Cuba.”

The blockade policy practiced by the US Government is still creating difficulties, sometimes insuperable, to collaboration regarding education with other countries to have access to technology, knowledge and necessary school materials and means to increase the the quality of the educational system.

The Special Education System has 982 educational repair shops, devoted to prepare students for their social and labor integration.

However, the restrictions imposed by Washington’s stance make difficult the access to raw materials, supplies, new technologies, machinery, tools, instruments and utensils for educational repair shops.

Such situation, the report says, affects more than 22,872 students with special educational needs.

In the area of computer technology, the blockade denies access to necessary tools to produce educational multimedia or for consultation of bibliographic references.

The necessary licenses to have access to those tools should be paid to US companies and are hindered by regulations that the blockade maintain in force, causing to Cuba the loss of millions of dollars.

The University of Cienfuegos was developing an academic exchange program with the University of Tacoma, Washington, with excellent results, but it was interrupted after its license renewal was denied.