School struggles in Cuba due to fuel shortages

In the rural heartlands of western Cuba, six-year-old Axisa and seven-year-old Aron Alfonso are among the few lucky enough to arrive at school—perched atop their father’s horse. But for most children, the journey to education is a distant dream.

A crumbling Soviet-era bus fleet, choked by the U.S. oil blockade, has paralyzed Cuba’s fuel supply, leaving entire communities stranded. Teachers can’t reach schools, blackouts stretch beyond 20 hours a day, and families drown in darkness without power—or the means to afford online classes. The government’s desperate fixes—halving school days and relying on WhatsApp voice notes from professors—barely scratch the surface of a collapsing system.

A System in Freefall

This isn’t a fleeting crisis. Last year’s Hurricane Melissa shattered school buildings across the island, while teacher exoduses have reached catastrophic levels—over 26,000 educators quit in recent years, lured by higher wages abroad. The COVID-19 exodus wiped out even more, with a million Cubans leaving, including thousands of teachers. Now, entire schools stand empty, their futures as uncertain as the fuel shortages fueling the chaos.

Once a global model, Cuba’s education system was forged in the fires of revolution—its 1959 literacy campaigns slashing illiteracy and cementing free schooling as a national pillar. But decades of stagnant wages have hollowed it out. Engineers and teachers flee for survival gigs, like Alejandro Paradero, who abandoned university for charcoal-making because teaching paid next to nothing.

The Brutal Reality of Getting to Class

Even when schools do open, the nightmare isn’t over. Parents like Yaymaris Rodríguez spend hours hitchhiking with their children, stranded on roadsides with no guarantee of a ride back. Half-day schedules offer no reprieve—parents can’t double back in time. The choice becomes brutal: work or study.

A Generation at Risk

Experts warn this isn’t just a short-term disruption—it’s a generational catastrophe. UNESCO’s regional director calls it a “serious threat” to Cuba’s future. The system that once lit the path for millions now flickers like a dying candle, its flame smothered by fuel shortages that show no sign of easing.

The question lingers: What happens when a nation forgets how to teach its children?