: : : Socialists are always talking bs about the wonderful educational system of Cuba. Where are the accomplishments you'd expect to see? Read on, Frenchy:
Education in Cuba:
Education in Cuba has been another major accomplishment of the
Revolution. Before it, education was unavailable to over half of Cuban
children.
In 1960, the revolutionary government began a war on illiteracy.
Where nearly a quarter of the population hadn't been able to read
before, the campaign ended with an illiteracy rate of 3%.
Nowadays compulsory education through the ninth grade exists in
Cuba. From there, students can choose what they want to do next.
Cuban students have always been enthusiastic about their education.
The effects of the Special Period and tourism are having some negative
effect on this.
Some students choose to go to a pre-collegiate school, technical
school, or none at all. If they graduate from the college preparatory
school, they can attend college for free if they choose. Around 7% of the population has graduated from college and 4% have degrees. In addition, there are 1.3 million graduates of technical schools in Cuba.
Health Care in Cuba:
The Cuban health care system is respected around the world, and is
literally decades more advanced than any system found in Latin
America. For this reason, the Cuban system serves as a model for
Third World developing nations.
Before the Revolution, most people could not afford proper medical
care. In the rural areas there were few doctors and in the big cities,
only the upper classes could afford health care.
All of this has now changed. Cuba has made excellent progress through
its family doctor program. Small towns all have doctors the people can
visit for free. Cuba now has one doctor per 200 citizens, compared to
one per 400 in the US. The doctors live in the buildings their offices are in and keep track of the histories and needs of all their patients.
Cuba stands out statistically as well. Its infant mortality rate of 8/1,000 is second to none in Latin America, and is near that of the United States. The life expectancy of the average Cuban is also far longer than that of people in any other Latin American country.
Taken from http://library.advanced.org/18355/culturens.html
