The start of the school year on September 1 will be a great celebration in Cuba, stated Dr. Naima Trujillo Barreto, Minister of Education, during a visit to this city to verify preparations for the new academic period.

With the presence also of Yoel Pérez García, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba in Guantánamo; Alis Azahares Torreblanca, Governor; and educational sector leaders in the easternmost territory, Trujillo Barreto noted that amid the difficult situation the country is facing, responses will be given to the main educational needs of children and adolescents, adapted to the reality of each institution and community.

It was reported that more than 79,000 students will begin the 2026-2027 school year, for which intensive preparatory work and conditioning of educational institutions were carried out during the vacation period, indicated Antonio Tamayo Romero, General Director of Education in Guantánamo.

Some 818 educational institutions will open their doors, with a teacher coverage rate of 93 percent—one of the challenges for the new school year, among other issues identified during visits to all 10 municipalities to verify preparations for the upcoming period.

Guantánamo shows a favorable situation in the commercialization of school uniforms for the initial grades, some of which are still in the process of distribution at sales points, and it has the study materials base that corresponds to the third improvement plan.

Five educational institutions have completed their energy matrix conversion, and work is ongoing on 35 projects to fulfill that task.

The principle of in-person teaching in classrooms and greater attention to vulnerable cases was defended; the Education Minister insisted on personalized attention to students in that condition and called for using existing channels to communicate families' proposals for improving the teaching-educational process, which is marked by flexibility and adjustment to the concrete situation of the current stage.

The sector head elaborated on the provisions, noting that despite the intensification of the U.S. economic war against Cuba, resources such as chalk, pencils, notebooks, school records, flags, and other essential supplies are being secured for the proper development of the upcoming academic period.

She expressed that she found in Guantánamo great enthusiasm to make this September 1 a day of celebration, and that nothing is more important for a Cuban child than starting classes on that day.