Havana, Cuba.- Education is a government and popular priority in Cuba, evidenced by the fact that this year, 23.7% of the budget is devoted to financing the educational system, which faces a constant struggle to improve quality, said Dr. Ena Elsa Velázquez Cobiella, Minister of Education, during the political-cultural gala opening the twenty-sixth edition of the congress at Karl Marx Theater, attended by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz- Canel Bermúdez.

The occasion also served as an opportunity to honor José Ramón Fernández Álvarez, the recently deceased revolutionary leader who was a longtime participant and promoter of the event.

Also on hand were Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Party Political Bureau and a vice president of the Council of Ministers; Olga Lidia Tapia, member of the Central Committee Secretariat; and other leaders of political and mass organizations; in addition to Brazilian theologian Frei Betto.

CUBAN HIGHER EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENTS HIGHLIGHTED

The Minister of Higher Education of Cuba, José Ramón Saborido, highlighted here on Tuesday the achievements and main challenges of higher education on the island, speaking at the XVI International Pedagogy Congress 2019.

In his conference, Saborido delved into prioritized lines in Cuba such as teacher training, the transition between high school and higher education, the quality of the training function of professionals and the development of skills throughout life. achievements of Cuban higher education in international appointment stand out.

He also referred to the importance of contributing to the better performance of teachers, and of responding to their needs for improvement and postgraduate studies in correspondence with the continuous improvement of the education system.

In addition, the head of Higher Education emphasized the pertinence of evaluating the professional needs of the different careers in each territory of the country.

He also recalled the importance that the government attaches to quality academic education, always on the basis of equity and social inclusion.

CUBAN PEDAGOGUES DEBATE IDEAS OF FIDEL CASTRO AS YOUTH GUIDES

Fidel Castro's ideas and their impact on youth were at the center of a panel of the congress Pedagogy 2019 here Tuesday.

According to the Ph.D. and professor at the Artemisa University Yosdey Dávila, as early as in 1962, the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution affirmed that he did not want youth to hear and repeat, but a youth that thinks.

He also highlighted at the Havana Conference Center the confidence of Fidel Castro in young people, by giving missions such as the creation of research centers that would give way to new tasks.

Dávila recalled Fidel Castro's way of dialoguing, of contextualizing the problems without cold speeches, but as a direct pact, with transformations and a heuristic vision.

The new generations, he said, should not only study the history of Cuba, but they should also know that of Latin America, to be aware of the phenomena that threaten our region, a vision that is part of the legacy of the revolutionary leader and promoter of the education.

He also referred to the Latin American School of Medicine, created in 1999, as another component of Fidel Castro's work, which transcends time in its spirit of solidarity.

"The need to have a cultured people, with an interest in the formation of an integral general culture, was one of the premises to which the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution also aspired," he said.

BOLIVIAN VICE MINISTER HIGHLIGHTS PEDAGOGY 2019 QUALITY

Bolivia's Vice Minister of Higher Education of Vocational Training, Eduardo Cortez, highlighted the quality and importance of the 16th International Pedagogy Congress 2019, whose scientific day began Tuesday in Havana.

"The conferences and panels are extremely relevant for improving the quality of education, to which all countries are interested," the expert told Prensa Latina exclusively.

He recalled this is precisely one of the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the implementation and permanent training; and so, he said, it has been adopted in Bolivia.

Cortez said that the South American nation is working in this direction to raise the quality not only of higher education, but also in primary and secondary education.

He added that in the panels there is a greater emphasis on teacher training.

The official expressed that the permanent presence of the Bolivian delegation in Pedagogy 2019 is due to the knowledge they have about the quality and importance of the event and the exhibitors. (PL)

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