Thursday February 25, 2021
  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast
Versión Español
PanAm Post
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
PanAm Post
No Result
View All Result

Home » Why Cuban Schoolteachers Are Quitting their Jobs Massively

Why Cuban Schoolteachers Are Quitting their Jobs Massively

Guest Contributor by Guest Contributor
March 20, 2017

Tags: education in cuba
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
FacebookTwitterTelegramWhatsapp
5286681328_93725cc926_b
Teachers claim their main reason for leaving is low salaries. (Flickr)

By Rosa Magdalena Aviles Carballo/ HABLEMOS PRESS.

EspañolMAYABEQUE, CUBA — Teachers and other education professionals started leaving their jobs at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year in Cuba’s Mayabeque province. Over the next few months, many followed suit.

RelatedArticles

Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips

15 Republicans Who Voted Against Trump Are Already Facing the Consequences

February 1, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes

Chinese Regime Silences Relatives of COVID-19 Fatalities During WHO Visit

January 29, 2021

This year’s figure constitutes the biggest exodus of teachers since 1998, according to a source from the Provincial Education Directorate.

“The accumulation of teachers who left classrooms this 2016-2017 period exceeds 250 … and in this province alone!” said a source speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Educators left their schools in three stages: at the end of the last school year, during the first week of September and then throughout the following months — all arguing they receive extremely low salaries.

A primary and secondary teacher earns between 450 and 500 Cuban pesos, or about US $20 a month.

In the last 10 years, wage increases for teachers amounted to around US $3. Meanwhile, workloads and responsibilities were multiplied due to a lack of educators.

At the beginning of 2016-2017 school year, the Ministry of Education of the province was silent about the exodus of teachers.

Some also reportedly left due to a lack of “appropriate conditions to exercise their profession,” poor quality of food in schools and difficulties in getting to and from work.

As the problem has grown, increasingly fewer people are entering the teaching field. Though there is a teacher training school in the Mayabeque province, “Pedro Albizu Campos,” which this year welcomed 600 students, many have abandoned the career path altogether.

  • Read More: Guillermo Lasso Denounces Lilian Tintori’s Expulsion from Ecuador

“The teachers we currently have in schools throughout the province are mainly older than 50,” the source said.

Yailen Sanchez, a student, said to be a teacher is to die of hunger, and that she would never pursue the profession. Instead, she chose gastronomy.

“Maybe I can work in tourism,” she said, “which is where teachers are going, because they pay better.”

Teachers receive more dividends for private, off-the-books services often taught out of their homes. Others resort to fraud, or are allowed to receive gifts from students to improve their grades after difficult exams.

 

“It is likely that many other teachers will continue to abandon their jobs and look for better salaries in the private sector,” said María de los Ángeles Rodríguez, a Cuban history teacher who left last year.

“In general, the whole country is affected by this situation, off-the-book classrooms are popping up where professionals have the opportunity to teach higher quality classes because when students pay for their lessons, they are obliged to pay more attention and respect,” said Nora, an English teacher, who runs a home with 10 students, three hours a day from Monday to Friday, for two dollars a week.

  • Read More: Cuba Offers Former FARC Guerrilla 500 Medical School Scholarships

“I’m afraid to tell you this,” Nora said. “In Cuba, private schools are not allowed, though it is clear that a student learns better according to the care that the professional can offer, and the results justify the professional’s payment.”

This note was originally published in Hablemos Press, an independent Cuban media outlet. The PanAm Post has established a strategic alliance with Hablemos Press to present Cuba’s reality to our readers, which is ignored by the traditional media.

Tags: education in cuba
Previous Post

Brazilian President Took Foreign Diplomats to Dinner to Disprove Meat Scandal

Next Post

How the Long Shadow of Peronism Can Foil Argentina’s Recovery

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Related Posts

Three Signs That Elon Musk Has the World at His Fingertips
News

15 Republicans Who Voted Against Trump Are Already Facing the Consequences

February 1, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes
Asia

Chinese Regime Silences Relatives of COVID-19 Fatalities During WHO Visit

January 29, 2021
Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes
Analysis

Three Key Moments to Remind Us That the UN Is a Nest of Oppressive Regimes

January 29, 2021
Dollarization Advances in Venezuela with Debit Cards for Foreign Currency Accounts
Argentina

Argentina Drags Chile in its Bipolar Madness Over Venezuela

January 28, 2021
Dollarization Advances in Venezuela with Debit Cards for Foreign Currency Accounts
Politics

Biden forbids linking COVID-19 with China

January 28, 2021
Mexico, the Dilemma of Voting for a Comedian or an “Alleged” Rapist
News

Trump Opens Florida Office to Prepare for His Return to Political Arena

January 27, 2021
Next Post
How Peron's long shadow cripples Argentina's recovery

How the Long Shadow of Peronism Can Foil Argentina's Recovery

Discussion about this post

Subscribe free and never miss another breaking story

  • Venezuela
  • Mexico
  • Colombia
  • Chile
  • Brazil
  • Argentina
  • Podcast

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Regions
    • South America
    • North America
    • Central America
    • Caribbean
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Opinion
  • Podcast
  • Authors
  • Contact

© 2020 PanAm Post - Design & Develop by NEW DREAM GLOBAL CORP. - Privacy policy

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy and Cookie Policy.