the Cuban Literacy Campaign: "If you know, teach. If you don't know, learn!"

Education and the development of human capital is a major priority for the Cuban government. After the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the country suffered from a mass exodus of professors and intellectuals. A nation-wide program, known as the Literacy Campaign of 1961, was thus instituted in response to this brain drain. More than 250,000 literate adults and children, some as young as 11 years old, formed brigades of people, or brigadistas and traveled throughout the countryside to teacher their fellow Cubans. They were specifically trained in teaching skills and techniques. The motto of the campaign was, "If you know, teach, if you don't known, learn." These teachers offered their services as volunteers, receiving room and board in return for the classes they taught. They would worked alongside their students on farms and in the sugar cane fields during the day and teach classes at night. Eleven months after the start of this campaign, illiteracy was reduced to 3.9%. The end of the campaign was celebrated on December 22, 1961, becoming one of the most impressive accomplishments of the Cuban Revolution. Though the Literacy Campaign has ended, the promotion of education as a central component of development and the teaching skills used during this campaign continued throughout the following decades. Today, Cuba boasts an illiteracy rate of less than one percent.

While in Cuba, we had the opportunity to visit the Museum for the Study of the Literacy Brigade. Our tour guide explained to us the history of the movement. We were guided through exhibits of pictures, old school supplies used, and various academic documents. One of my favorite things to read were the letters that students had to write to Fidel Castro as a final assessment of their literacy. Our guide proudly discussed the great national and international support that the campaign received, with volunteers coming from countries throughout the world in order to participate. She also made a point to emphasize the negative impact that the US had on these efforts, namely the Bay of Pigs invasion, and their supposed funding of antirevolutionaries, who were later responsible for the murder of innocent brigadistas. She also told us about the export of similar literacy programs to poor countries throughout the world, from Latin America to Africa, which have had astounding success. We ended the tour with a quick documentary that showed testaments from the volunteer brigadistas, proclaiming the satisfaction and life changing experience that they had from participating in the campaign.

Today in Cuba, the curriculum for students is standardized at a national level with obligatory attendance from ages 6 to 11. All Cuban children complete the same readings and activities on the same day. Also, through progressive programs such as UNICEF funded community-based services and child care centers, 98% of children under the age of six receive educational instruction. For children, play and the arts are considered key components of education requirements, a stipulation that they happily accept. Specials schools exist for those especially talented in athletics and the arts. There are also specialized programs for mentally and physically challenged. Teachers in Cuba are well trained and receive a modest pay. Despite the importance placed on education and the great progress these programs have achieved, a great lack of supplies and resources is a major challenge to the Cuban education system.