The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has called on international partners to join efforts to ensure that every child and adolescent in Cuba can continue learning and that educational institutions remain safe, inclusive, and protective spaces for students, teachers, and communities.
At a press conference held today, Anne Lemaistre, director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Havana, released a document stating that Cuba faces a complex situation stemming from external restrictions that prevent fuel imports, with direct impacts on the operation of essential services, including education.
In this context, the text adds, UNESCO continuously monitors and assesses risks and impacts in its mandate areas, with particular attention to educational continuity and the protection of the right to education.
The document further states: “With timely, coordinated, and sustained support, it is possible to safeguard the continuity of learning, mitigate risks, and strengthen the resilience of the Cuban education system in the face of current and future challenges. Every day without fuel jeopardizes school meals, the transportation of teachers and students, and the electricity needed to sustain educational programs. For us, a functioning society begins in schools; they are the first thing that must be restored.”
As part of this appeal, UNESCO proposes coordinating efforts around concrete goals that reduce structural vulnerabilities and strengthen the resilience of the education system. These goals include ensuring that 5,000 schools, 50 percent of the total, have access to sustainable energy, school gardens, and implement nutritional education practices.
In addition, UNESCO proposes supporting the 80,000 most affected teachers so they can access complementary resources and support, in conjunction with ongoing national efforts. that some 600,000 more affected students have access to school materials and skills development, while 25,000 young people lead community resilience projects.
IMAGE CREDIT: Margarita Barrios | Photos: Omara García Mederos
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
