Back to School: Evidence that Cuba is Recovering

The resumption of teaching activities in a large part of the country on Monday, after being suspended due to the impact of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael, is an expression of how Cuba is gradually returning to normal amid severe material damage.

The resume of the school year, the recovery efforts in the west and the impacts of the earthquakes in the east were discussed on the Informative Roundtable of Cuban radio and television.

Although in the province of Artemisa only 18 schools, out of 228, were able to open their doors to students, it was evident how intensely and quickly they are working to get the rest ready, amid colossal efforts to restore electricity and water supply.

But the fact that a country in Cuba's conditions, with serious economic and financial limitations, is able to defy the effects of nature and rise up is thanks to the unity of its people, without detracting from the merit of international solidarity aid.

Reports on life stories, exploits and the mobilization of teachers, workers, families and students who joined the tasks of recovering their educational facilities were shown on the radio and television.

Although the recognition to them was made from the digital network X Miguel Díaz-Canel, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, also the Ministers of Education and Higher Education congratulated those who contributed to resuming classes in the affected territories.

Directors of the Ministry of Public Health reported on how hospitals and other assistance centers are being prepared in addition to medical science institutions.

The congratulations were then furthered to the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior, to the contingents of the electric, telecommunications, construction and water resources companies.

Because these and other forces and organizations, together with the people, work tirelessly to erase the traces not only of hurricanes Oscar and Rafael, but also of the earthquakes that shook eastern Cuba.

For example, in Granma the main damages are concentrated in homes and hospitals, bakeries, educational centers, television rooms and the electrical network. This was confirmed by the government commission made up of Jorge Luis Broche, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee; Eduardo Martínez, vice prime minister, and Major General Ramón Pardo Guerra, head of the Civil Defense General Staff.

From several territories came the press reports on how the recovery tasks are progressing, which are checked daily by the highest leadership of the country and in each damaged province they have several high-level cadres providing their support.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff