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Education in Cuba is extremely subsidized at all levels. In 1961 the government nationalized all private educational institutions and introduced a state-directed education system. There are no tuition fees paid by school or university students and private schools or private universities are not permitted. Education expenditures continue to receive high priority. Nevertheless, the economic upheaval after 1991, known as the Special Period, strained Cuba's long-standing efforts to ensure access to quality educational services.[5]
[edit] Level of achievementBefore the Cuban revolution, The literacy rate in Cuba was at best 60%. Since the revolution, Cuba has maintained high standards of educational development.[6] In 1995 rates were 96%. This was second after Argentina of thirteen Latin American countries surveyed.[6] A 1998 study by UNESCO reported that Cuban students showed a high level of educational achievement. Cuban third and fourth graders scored 350 points, 100 points above the regional average in tests of basic language and mathematics skills. The report indicated that the test achievement of the lower half of students in Cuba was significantly higher than the test achievement of the upper half of students in other Central and South American countries in the study group.[7][8] [edit] School Education
School attendance is compulsory from ages 6 to 15 or 16 (end of basic secondary education) and all students, regardless of age or sex, wear school uniforms with the color denoting grade level. Primary education lasts for six years. Secondary education is divided into basic secondary education and pre-university secondary education. The curriculum in primary and secondary schools is based upon principles of "hard work, self-discipline and love of country".[9] At the end of basic secondary education, pupils can choose between pre-university education and technical and professional education. Those who complete pre-university education are awarded the Bachillerato. Technical training leads to two levels of qualification - skilled worker and middle-level technician. Successful completion of this cycle gives access to the technological institutes.[10] [edit] Higher Education
Higher education is provided by universities, higher institutes, higher pedagogical institutes, centres of higher education and higher polytechnic institutes. All higher education institutions are public. The Ministry of Higher Education (Ministerio de Educación Superior (MES)) is responsible for policy in matters of undergraduate and postgraduate education. It controls teaching, methodology, courses and programmes and the allocation of student places, as well as the specialization courses offered by centres of higher education which come under the control of other ministries. All institutions have the same status. Cuba has 47 universities and total university enrollment is approximately 112,000 citizens. 
The University of Havana, Cuba's oldest university, was founded in 1728. Other official universities included Universidad de Oriente (founded in 1947) and Universidad Central de Las Villas (founded in 1952). Private universities, which were nationalized without reimbursement along with private schools in 1961, include Universidad Católica de Santo Tomás de Villanueva (founded in 1946); Universidad Masónica, and the Universidad de la Salle in Nuevo Vedado. In 1979 the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education initiated a scheme of Distance Education. Distance Education is offered in 15 centres across the country, which provide regular afternoon and evening courses for workers. The scheme offers five degrees in Law, History, Scientific and Technological Information, Accounting and Finance and Economics. There are approximately 20,000 students taking the five degrees offered in all the centres of the country, about 50% of whom are at the Universidad de La Habana. Candidates must have completed secondary school, have at least one year's work experience, be between 25 and 35 years of age and pass an entrance examination. Membership in the Communist Party also affects a student's chances of being admitted to any of Cuba's universities. These studies are offered as evening or correspondence courses (week-ends) and generally last for six years. There are also 'guided' or free courses open to all secondary school or higher education graduates.[11] [edit] International StudentsAlthough education is free to Cuban citizens, foreign students wishing to study in Cuba pay tuition fees of between US$4000-7000. Foreign students must hold a Bachelors or an equivalent degree, have a visa and follow compulsory Spanish classes. Preparatory facilities offer courses in Spanish. During the 2000-01 school year Cuba allowed 905 U.S. students to visit and study.[12] In 1999 a scheme was implemented to attract students to study medicine in Cuba from less privileged backgrounds in the United States, Britain and Latin American, Caribbean, and African nations.[13] Cuba currently hosts 3432 medical students from 23 nations studying in Havana.[14] However, Cuba has also provided state subsidized education to foreign nationals under specific programs, including U.S. students who are trained as doctors at the Latin American School of Medicine. The program provides for full scholarships, including accommodation, and its graduates are meant to return to the US to offer low-cost healthcare.[1][2] [edit] Teacher educationA five-year course is provided for pre-primary and primary/basic school teachers at the Institutos Superiores Pedagógicos. They obtain the "Licenciado en Educación Primaria" (Certificate in Primary Education) or other types of degrees. Secondary school teachers are trained at the . He conferres them a "Licenciatura en Educación" (Certificate in Education). Admission to these courses is based on the Bachillerato. Higher education students are offered specialized upgrading courses in the subjects they teach as well as teacher training courses. Many teachers are professionals from the production field. They also receive teacher training. Where teachers are specially selected graduate students, as has mostly been the case in the last ten years, they receive initial teacher training simultaneously with their studies. 
[edit] Educational co-operationIn 2006 Venezuela and Cuba began jointly sponsoring education programs in El Palomar, Bolivia.[15] Cuba also maintains close co-operation on education with the United Kingdom[16] and other nations in the European Union.[17] In 2002 British Minister for Education Jane Davidson and representatives of the Universities of Swansea and Glamorgan in Wales visited Cuba to create provisions for officials in Britain and Cuba to liaise over educational projects.[18] In the United States, the Cuban and Caribbean Studies Institute, a part of Tulane University, has developed relations with Cuban counterpart organizations for the purposes of academic collaboration and exchange, curricular development, cultural exchange and international development and dialogue. [edit] CriticismTThe US State Department tries to dismiss the quality of Cuban education by stating that Cuba has been among the most literate countries in Latin America since well before the Castro revolution. and Eclipse: A Comparative Look at Socio-Economic Conditions in Pre-Castro and Present Day Cuba]</ref> A UNESCO study showed, however, that the third and fourth graders in Cuba held the highest level of achievement in mathematics and language skills compared to other Latin American countries. [19] In order to enter university, students are also required to pass an entry examination to show that they possess the basic knowledge required. In order to take this examination students need a letter from the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) vouching for their "political and moral background". [edit] See also[edit] External links
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