Along the way, he encountered a row of adorable, uniformed schoolchildren. They were laughing, smiling and holding hands while skipping along a cobblestone street behind their teachers. The essence of innocence. These young school children were adorable, causing bystanders to smile and wave. What is their educational future? Prior to the 1959 revolution, Cuba’s literacy rate was 22% while 60% were semi-literate. The new regime nationalized all schools and instituted Marxist theology. Yet they also made education a priority, spending 10% of GDP. Primary and secondary schools were made compulsory yet free. The tuition at the university and two forms of technical training are also subsidized. The results? By the year 2000, 97% of 15-24-year-olds were considered literate.
