Latin American Network Information Center - LANIC

-DATE-
19721211
-YEAR-
1972
-DOCUMENT_TYPE-
INTERVIEW
-AUTHOR-
F. CASTRO
-HEADLINE-
HAVANA UNIVERSITY GRADUATION
-PLACE-
CUBA
-SOURCE-
HAVANA DOMESTIC SVC
-REPORT_NBR-
FBIS
-REPORT_DATE-
19721212
-TEXT-
Further Details

Havana Domestic Service in Spanish 2131 GMT 11 Dec 72 F

[Text] "Successful passing is no longer solely the problem of our family of
teachers, but, fundamentally, the problem of the students themselves." This
was stated by Maj Fidel Castro, first party secretary and prime minister of
the Revolutionary Government, closing the commencement exercises of 2,095
students of the University of Havana.

Fidel added, "When we observed the way students grasped the idea of
passing, we asked ourselves what the results would be. Here we see the
result, in the first exams that were given at the basic secondary rural
schools. The traditional passing index at the end of the year, which is
always higher in the finals than in the previous exams, was between 60 and
70-plus percent."

Noting that only one school had shown a drop below the traditional index,
the prime minister added: "Of the 50 basic secondary rural schools, only
one feel below the old index, with 68 percent. Twenty-four had a passing
index between 70 and 90 percent, and 25 exceeded this percent--13 reaching
over 95 percent.

"The Carlos (?Lieznez) School in Santa Clara had 98.2 percent, and the
Vanguardia de La Habana in the Isle of Pines had 98. So, the high
graduation percentage is observed not only in Havana, but also in the Isle
of Pines, Las Villas, Oriente and Camaguey provinces."

Fidel continued: "The basic secondary schools Heroes de Varsovia, In Havana
had 97.8; Gen Antonio Maceo in Ceiba, 97.6; Primero de Mayo in Santa Clara,
97.3; Gen Jose Artigas in Ariguanabo, 96.8; Comuna de Paris, also in
Ariguanabo, 93.8; Maximo Gomez in Havana, 93.7; Republica Popular de
Bugaria in Artemisa, 96.6; Gen Bartolome Mazo in Holguin, 95.7; and Marina
Grajales in Holguin 95.7 also."

Fidel added: "Republic democratica Popular de Argelia in Chivican had 95.3;
and Batalle de Las Guasimas in Ciego de Avila, 95.5; then too, in Orient,
five of the seven schools surpassed 90 percent."

Further on, Fidel stated: "Thus, the most amazing consequences of our
having applied the study-work system at the basic secondary school level
are the teaching results. Let us say the academic results, to give the
teachers a larger scope of action. This occurred notwithstanding the fact
that the majority of these schools are new and that the teachers do not
have much experience. How will it be when thousands and thousands of the
teaching detachment youths will have graduated as teachers after 5
study-and- work years?"

Fidel also explained that the basic secondary rural schools offer broad
perspectives in the educational field, in the overall cultural field and in
sports.
-END-


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