Cuba Achieves a Literacy Dream Still Unfinished for the UN

News from Cuba | Monday, 16 September 2013

Cuba celebrated International Literacy Day on 8 September, and the fact the United Nations (UN) declared that the country had achieved this goal fro its people since 1961, according to a report by the newspaper Juventud Rebelde.

The paper reports that Cuba was freed from the scourge of illiteracy since before the UN set aside a special day to encourage the world to eradicate illiteracy in 1967.

However, some 67 million children worldwide still do not attend primary school and another 72 million teens do enjoy the right to education.

Meanwhile, just seven days ago began the school year 2013-2014 and Cuban schools welcomed nearly two million students in general education and 200 000 university students.

The newspaper says that this country, not satisfied with the domestic feat, now helps the world to address this situation and from 2001 began working with a new method for literacy. The text states that the initiative corresponded to the historical leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and the efforts of the Cuban doctor Leonela Relys, who along with a team created the educational program, Yes I Can.

The Cuban program allowed more than seven million people from 30 countries to see the light through the letters.

With this novel method, Venezuela could be declared illiteracy-free territory in 2003 and then also Bolivia and Nicaragua.

The contribution of the Cuban program in 2001 and 2002 deserved an honorable mention from King Seijong Literacy Prize, awarded by the United Nations Fund for Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

In 2006 the country also won the award for the development of basic learning programs in different parts of the world, with the program Yes I Can in several languages.

Some 216 876 Angolan citizens were taught using the Cuban method, while in Argentina learned to read and write another 24 000 people.

The solidarity aid also favors the continuation of studies in other projects as I can already read and write and I, Can Follow.

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