Cuban-Marxist Education

This entry outlines the ideological basis of education in Cuba, with emphasis on the influence of Marxism and of the philosophies of José Martí (1853-1895) and Fidel Castro (1926-2016). The authors believe that this theoretical framework must be understood as integral to, and developing in response to, Cuban educational policy and practice since 1959. The ideas are, therefore, situated here within key educational initiatives: the 1961 Literacy Campaign; 1960s and 1970s teacher training schemes; the 1992 introduction of Educa a tu Hijo (Educate Your Child); and the Programmes of the Revolution of the 2000s that aimed to reintegrate Cuban youth and universalise access to higher education. Recognising the human impact of these initiatives, the entry includes personal testimony of educators from each period in Bartolomé Masó, Granma – a sugar-producing municipality in the Sierra Maestra mountains where the Revolution was forged.