Nicaragua's schools, like the clinice, hospitals, and anything else that served the needs of the population, took a terrible beating during the war.
In many areas, schools were used as shelters against the bombing and strafing by the National Guard's air force.
Schools were also transformed into clinics and centers to organize and direct the resistance by the Sandinista National Liberation Front.
For the National Guard, any school they themselves did not occupy was considered a military target. As a consequence, the vast majority of schools suffered damage during the insurrection.
According to Alberto Suhr, the architect who directs the Ministry of Education's school reconstruction program, the National Guard completely destroyed twelve of the seventy-nine grammar schools in Nicaragua. Another twenty-eight were more than half destroyed. Of the remaining thirty-nine, two-thirds suffered some damage.
Rebuilding these schools is a major concern of the new Ministry of Education. But their long range plans must also respond to the institutionalized sponsible for the devastation of the Nicaeconomy, provide whatever raguan economic, agricultural, and medical aid is economic, agricultural, and medical aid 1s asked for by the Government of National Reconstruction-without conditions, without strings attached.
We call on the mass organizations of the workers movement and the small farmers to make resources available to aid their Nicaraguan brothers and sisters.
We call on the governments of the workers states to take up Cuba's challenge for socialist competition to see who can provide the most aid to the Nicaraguan revolution.
The sections and sympathizing organi. zations of the Fourth International will spare no effort to organize the broadest united front campaign of solidarity with the Nicaraguan revolution.
Nicaragua will not stand alone!
Educational System deficiencies and gross neglect that characterized the old system.
The outline for the changes envisioned is contained in the general program of the Government of National Reconstruction. It includes the following:
• Free, compulsory education through high school.
• Eradication of illiteracy.
• Establishment of vocational schools in the cities.
• Establishment of rural education centers.
• Price controls on all books and school materials.
• Respect for the autonomy of the national university.
• Regulation of private educational institutions.
It is in the area of the literacy campaign that the government has planned its most extensive effort. In this it will have the aid of a Cuban team of experts for the entire two years the program is expected to last.
According to an agreement signed recently, Cuba will send 1,000 or more specialized teachers and pay their expenses for the duration of the program.