Spelman students, faculty explore Cuba’s education system

Spelman College students are participating in a faculty-led study trip to Havana, Cuba this week to learn about the country’s education system.

The seven-day trip is sponsored by the college’s Education Studies Program and supports Spelman’s Quality Enhance Plan,which is designed to enhance student learning with global travel experiences. Two faculty members, 19 students and one alumnus are participating in the trip and will be guided by representatives from Global Exchange, an international human rights organization.

“This study trip is a response to students’ desire to connect with the African Diaspora and enables them to examine critical issues regarding how access and structure of the educational system impact the life chances of people in a global comparative context,” said Dimeji Togunde, Spelman’s associate provost for global education and professor of international studies. “The Cuban educational system provides an intriguing, fertile ground for study.”

Man of the students participating in the trip are planning for careers as teacher leaders, according to Spelman. While in Cuba the students will visit an elementary school, a performing arts high school and a home school-learning program.

The Spelman educational trip follows a Havana expedition earlier this year by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and a group of Atlantans. During that trip, organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta, Reed and others toured Havana and explored future business opportunities in the event a longstanding trade embargo is lifted.