The role of Cuban higher education for development is highlighted

Nothing is more important for our higher education system than responding to the needs of the homeland, committed to the construction of a prosperous, socialist, and sustainable society, José Ramón Saborido Loidi, Minister of Higher Education, said during the International Congress Pedagogy 2023.

As part of his lecture From the Manifesto of Cordoba to the present day in defense of free, quality public education, Saborido Loidi said that amid the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States on the Island, university institutions maintain their social commitment through innovation.

He pointed out that Cuban institutions of higher education, through public policies, contribute to human progress and welfare, as well as to national and global inclusion and sustainability in the educational and health spheres.

He said that the students are the protagonists of their university communities, which must turn towards integration with society, in areas such as the economy, the environment, and culture, to reduce poverty.

Saborido Loidi emphasized that the training of competent professionals, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels, is an immediate challenge because it favors insertion in the social and productive dynamics.

He called for taking advantage of the facilities of the Information and Communication Technologies to exchange with other university networks, academic mobility, and, consequently, the improvement of the Cuban educational system.

For us, the main challenge of higher education in the archipelago lies in guaranteeing the quality of professionals and their patriotic commitment, he said.

He said that given the transformations taking place on a global scale, these teachers will have to overcome labor and social challenges for their benefit, that of their families, and society in general.

Under the slogan "For the unity of educators", the International Pedagogy Congress 2023 gathers teachers and researchers from all the provinces of the country, together with delegates from more than 50 nations, to establish a dialogue around equitable and quality education.