Cuban Notebook
| THE CAMILO CIENFUEGOS SCHOOL CITY
By Ernest Mandel
. It was born from a vow made by Fidel Castro during the revolutionary war,
_ The Batista tyranny had killed 20,000 revolutionists, To commemorate their sacrifice, Fidel resolved to construct a city in which 20,000 children of the Sierra Maestra could receive nine years. schooling (three primary grades, three secondary, and three years of high school technical training). = : ——
But not only training in the literal sense, - The Cuban Revolution was aware of the lamentable state of the peasant population of the Sierra Maestra under the semicolonial regime, It knew that what the youngsters of the Sierra lacked was not only schools, books, educational equipment. It was above all adequate food, decent housing, clothing, an environment containing the material acquisitions of contemporary civilization, .These were youngsters who had never known electricity, running water, nor. chocolate, a bike, movies, a campus, .
It was to bring them all this, and at: the same time general training and a progressive, socialist education, that the Camilo Cienfuegos School City was conceived,
The children board there for nine years. Each year they have a one-month vacation to go home; and a big hotel is in the blueprint stage so that parents can visit the youngsters from time to time.
Everything has been conceived for the children and their needs, When the School City is completed in 1969-70, it will have a population of 355,000 to 40,000, including 20,000 students, The other inhabitants will devote themselves to the duties necessary to the well-being and instruction of the youngsters, in addition to teaching personnel, there will be farm workers to produce food for the City, carpenters and construction workers to put up buildings and make furniture, shoe~ makers and textile workers, drivers and laundry workers, administrative personnel and postal and communication employees.
The Camilo Cienfuegos School City was conceived as a model socialist center, bringing together both city conveniences and quasi self-sustaining food production. It was built on a big ranch (latifundium) of the former regime covered with weeds. Today it has a farm of 8,000 hectares [one hectare = 2,47 acres] which grows all the rice, vegetables and potatoes necessary for the City. It has big poultry yards and 8,000 head of cattle, sufficient to provide not. _ only all the fresh milk and meat needed by the City, but all the surrounding villages, ve
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“When it is completed, the City will have 35 school units of. nine grades each, all under one pedagogical administration, Today ~ it already has four units, containing 2,400 students, including 200 little girls, Some 11,000 workers, employees and teachers already live in the City, The buildings they have constructed, both colorful and audacious, are extremely attractive like all the architecture of-revolutionary Cuba,
The pedagogical system followed in the City brings an element of physical labor into the curriculum, Each day a different class in.each sohool unit goes to work on the land, in the fields in the morning, in the orchards in the afternoon.. It does this on the average of once each three weeks, This is to familiarize the stu-- . dents with physical labor and to prevent them from becoming completely detached from the family background which is agricultural, so that they do not become disdainful of peasant work as. their level of oulture and education rises,
The School City pays special attention to leisure and relaxation, The 2,400 students have available at present 800 bicycles made in China and an equal’ number of roller skates, Each: school unit has a gymnasium that also serves for music. A botanical garden is being set up; a zoological garden will complete it. A big swimming pool is being built, a stadium with 25,000 seats and a theater. Projeotion rooms for movies are already functioning and abundant sports equipment is available, as well as many libraries.
The City was conceived for the children and not for the | teaching personnel, who do not have an easy life, They must do their own laundry ; they have only one day off each two weeks; they must live under constant self-discipline; each man and woman is constantly under the eyes of dozens of children, in and out of class,
Thus a severe selection occurs among the personnel. Many of them cannot keep it up; they are free to leave, But we talked with men and women teachers who came to visit the City and who have not returned yet, who wanted to participate at once in the most noble work that the Revolution offers -- to bring a ray of culture and well-being for the children of the poorest people in the country...
CANADIAN STUDENTS FIND CUBA A FREE