-DATE- 19790715 -YEAR- 1979 -DOCUMENT_TYPE- SPEECH -AUTHOR- F. CASTRO -HEADLINE- CASTRO DEDICATES PIONEERS PALACE, MENTIONS PROB -PLACE- LENIN PARK, HAVANA -SOURCE- HAVANA DOMESTIC RADIO -REPORT_NBR- FBIS -REPORT_DATE- 19790726 -TEXT- CASTRO DEDICATES PIONEERS PALACE, MENTIONS PROBLEMS Havana Domestic Radio/Television Services in Spanish 2333 GMT 15 Jul 79 FL [Speech by Cuban President Fidel Castro at ceremony marking the International Year of the Child inauguration of Ernesto Guevara Central Palace of Pioneers at Lenin Park, Havana--live] [Text] Dear Comrades, Dear Pioneers: It is a great pleasure and honor to celebrate this Day of the Child [third Sunday of July is Day of Child in Cuba] with this large and select group of Pioneers. We were moved by the artistic show [Pioneers variety show that preceded Castro's speech] and we feel very happy to be with you this afternoon. Fortunately, we observe this date with the opportunity of inaugurating the Central Palace of Pioneers. Sometimes it has been a camp. At other times, it has been an international camp. Sometimes it has been the Jose Marti City and this time a central palace. Regrettably, we cannot celebrate this day every year with an installation of such Importance and magnitude as this one. The young comrade [reference to boy Pioneer who spoke earlier] recalled that 5 years ago I talked of the need to build palaces of Pioneers and the need to build the Havana City Palace. I also recall that a big shower fell that day. In any case, this installation proves what can be done. I should begin by saying that a palace of Pioneers--and perhaps our population still do not know this--is not an amusement or recreational center. The vacation camps are recreational centers and, during the school year, they serve as educational-recreational centers. In other words, the two functions are combined. Since this type of installation is called a palace of Pioneers, it could lead to a certain misunderstanding as to what a palace of Pioneers is. Essentially, a palace of Pioneers is a training center and educational center and, perhaps, the most important training center for technical, cultural, patriotic and sports training. It is essentially a training center. That is what a palace of Pioneers is. A palace of Pioneers is even more important than Pioneer camps. Palaces of Pioneers are as important or more important than primary and secondary schools. And our educational system will not be complete until each city and each municipality of the country has its palace of Pioneers. [applause] Perhaps with the inauguration of this Central Palace, our citizens will become aware of the content and functions of the palace of Pioneers. Today we had the opportunity of visiting some of the halls, beginning with the Combat Glory Hall and continuing through the various shops, including the communications shop which is an excellent one. We then visited the industrial shops of the iron and steel industry and chemical industry and the areas where the small sugar mill is located. It is a small mill but it is not a toy mill. It is a sugar mill that can produce sugar and it will produce sugar. It has the capacity of producing one fourth of a ton daily. In other words, 1 ton every 4 days. Perhaps that is the amount of sugar consumed at the Jose Marti Camp. We have visited the farming areas, the public health areas, the transportation areas and the military areas. And, of course, the equipment is excellent. Actually, education could not be conceived without this scientific and technical training. And it is absolutely impossible to have such installations at each primary school. This can be done only at special centers. However, the palaces of Pioneers are not enough. It is necessary to give a special push to scientific-technical clubs at all our schools. This is necessary at all our schools just as cultural clubs have been promoted, and there are many thousands of these. Scientific-technical clubs must be promoted in our schools. To this end, an effort will be necessary from all the sectors involved--the youth [young communists], Organization of Pioneers, Ministry of Education, central agencies of the state and people's government organs. Perhaps this will be one of the first conclusions that should be reached from this palace and from the experiences of this palace. This palace has been built with the enthusiastic cooperation of all sectors and of all government agencies. Without such cooperation, it would have been absolutely impossible to build these halls, obtain the equipment and gather the technical personnel to teach in these halls. This success has been achieved thanks to the coordinated effort of everyone. This same effort is needed to develop scientific technical clubs through out the entire country, at all schools. There is no need to wait for palaces of Pioneers to do this. Local installations and local resources must be used; otherwise, we would not have a complete educational system. We would not be preparing our children and youths for the world of the future if they do not master science and technology. Although we have laboratories in our secondary, pre-university and technological schools in our cities, education would not be complete [without such clubs]. The movement of scientific-technical interest clubs that was started at the beginning of the revolution and even inspired the creation of vocational schools must be continued, promoted and taken to the maximum of its possibilities. This will not depend just on the number of palaces of Pioneers we may have in this country because, as you can see, this Palace of Pioneers is a big one and it can accommodate between 3,500 and 4,000 Pioneers simultaneously. Using the palace to the maximum, we expect that more than 10,000 children will come every day to this Palace of Pioneers. If they come once a week for 5 days, the total will be a minimum of 45,000 children systematically using this Palace of Pioneers. Still, that is not enough because we have 400,000 Pioneers in Havana City Province and only 45,000 Pioneers can use this installation [in a week]. It is expected that more municipal palaces will be built in the future in this city. However, this palace itself and many of its installations could never be used by all the children. Therefore, the most outstanding groups from scientific-technical interest clubs necessarily will be the ones to come to this Palace of Pioneers. It will be a massive activity because it will involve a very high percentage of the children. However, it would be practically impossible to do it for 100 percent of the children. Whatever we cannot do in the palaces of Pioneers, it must be done at the schools with the scientific-technical interest clubs. What must be done with the scientific-technical interest clubs in the schools must not wait for each province and municipality of the country to have its palace of Pioneers because, unfortunately, it is going to take us years, many years to have a palace of Pioneers at each municipality. It is very important that citizens know what a palace of Pioneers is, that it is the ideal and perfect complement of our educational system. That is why the expenditures on palaces of Pioneers should be accounted for as educational expenditures of the country. By the same token, just as no one in our country spares any resource, cooperation, effort and assistance to build a school, no one should spare any resource, effort and cooperation to build palaces of Pioneers. Qualified technical personnel are required at each of these institutions to teach, any type of teaching cultural, sports or technical. That is why it is so necessary that we have the cooperation of the state central organizations and the country's organizations and enterprises. We have to find a way to defray these expenditures without having them fall on the enterprises whether through the budgets of central organizations or education. In other words, we must find a formula which would satisfy the need for such qualified personnel and the link between the palaces of Pioneers and production organizations and, at the same time, a way to defray the expenditures. It is imperative that the link between production and services organizations and the palaces of Pioneers not be lost for a single moment. Plans of various types are being drafted for [palaces of] 500, 1,500 and 2,000 Pioneers, depending on the size of the municipality or city. There has been much progress with these plans for the purpose of implementing a construction program of palaces of Pioneers throughout the country. There also is a plan to develop the Pioneer camps program. However, we attach more importance to the construction and development of the palace of Pioneers program which is a more fundamental and priority need. The country made a big effort to build schools in past years. It must continue this school construction effort and it must increase the effort to build universities. However, it will have to devote part of the resources used for school construction to the construction of palaces of Pioneers. This is the first one to be built as a complete institution. Necessarily, its concept will have to be improved. This is the first one. We now will have to see how it functions and what proportions we will devote to each activity. At this Palace of Pioneers, productive activities and fundamental services occupy 50 percent of its capacities. We were discussing with the comrade leaders of the Organization of Pioneers and Young communists the already developing idea of raising this proportion so that the halls and activities devoted to technical training for productive activities and fundamental services are raised to no less than 65 percent. Of course, we attach importance to sports and cultural activities, and the palaces of Pioneers will have their share of these. We must develop cultural activities at all the schools but what is needed is the instructor. We must develop sports activities at all the schools but what is needed are good instructors and, of course, awareness and concern for sports activities from the school's staff. Actually, it so happens now that having magnificent sports facilities at all secondary schools in the countryside, they are not used enough. We have many resources to develop sports throughout the country. On the other hand, we do not have--to cite an example--many places in the country in which to awaken and develop the vocation for the iron and steel industry. We have seen the iron and steel industry shop where a group of children from the city of Holguin were handling the lathes with great seriousness, precision and excellence. It seemed incredible seeing primary school children handling those machines with discipline and seriousness. We saw a group of young comrades working the communications and television equipment, the entire [television] program. We saw others in the chemical industry room, and so forth. What an enormous importance that our children can gain such knowledge and gain mastery of this technical work at the primary school level. And some of these fields are fundamental for the future of our country. Moreover, the activities at palaces of Pioneers should not reflect what we are today or what we have today, but what we will be or aspire to be in the future and what we want to have in the future. Naturally, this experience of palaces of Pioneers emerged in the world with socialism. Nothing of the sort was achieved in the capitalist society. The capitalist society did not prepare man for life. It did not educate the children. The few who could, went to school. Factory workers were not trained at institutes or polytechnical schools. They did not learn the work as children. Many of them did not read or write. They did not get even a primary education. And they learned later working with the lathes. There were no schools for lathe operators. There were no schools for sugar industry workers. There were no schools for railroad workers. There were no schools for drivers. There were no schools for anything. Man had to learn on his own by working with the machines without any foundation. And you here at this palace have the opportunity of learning with the machines and with an instructor starting at the primary school level. I could add that palaces of Pioneers are centers for the development of proletarians. This is what the Young Pioneers in those rooms seemed to be, young proletarians handling the machines and producing with the machines with the seriousness, attention, concern, responsibility and discipline required to handle a machine; the discipline required in production; the ability required in production; and the knowledge and responsibility required in production and services. This is learned and we could say that it is the most important thing learned at a palace of Pioneers. What will you be in the future? What will you learn to do in the future? How will you be prepared for life? What sort of citizens will you be in the future? That is and must be our fundamental concern--what sort of citizens, what sort of patriots, what sort of workers and what sort of revolutionaries you will be in the future. [applause] Many of you already have considered what you are going to be. I could ask, for example, for a show of hands from those who are thinking of becoming teachers or professors. [some youngsters raise their hands] You see, there are many. I could ask how many of you are thinking of becoming engineers. [indistinct shouts, many hands raised] Magnificent, magnificent. [applause] I could ask how many of you are thinking of studying medicine. [youngsters raise their hands] There are many. [applause] Good. You know and you are aware that you will have to devote your lives to something. I could ask how many are thinking of becoming military technicians. [youngsters raised their hands] There are quite a few. However, all must learn to handle arms, of course-- teachers, doctors, engineers, everyone. We should like to know from those who raised their hands indicating that they are thinking of becoming teachers and professors what sort of teachers you are going to be. What sort of doctors will you be? What sort of engineers, what sort of technicians, what sort of qualified workers, what sort of citizens, what sort of patriots and what sort of revolutionaries [all of you are going to be]. [applause] What sort of conscientious, responsible and disciplined citizens are you going to be? Are you going to be the type who will arrive late for your classes? [children shout "no"] Are you going to be the type who arrives late at the hospital? [children shout "no"] Are you going to be indifferent to the problems of the sick? [children shout "no"] The point is: What you are going to be and how you are going to be. Will we have more delinquents in the future [children shout "no"] or less delinquents [children shout "yes"], more thieves [children shout "no"] or less thieves [children shout "yes"], more irresponsible [children shout "no"] or less irresponsible. [children shout "yes"] This is the fundamental task of the revolution. [applause] It is a fundamental task of our party, [applause] young communists, Organization of Pioneers, mass organizations, teachers, professors and our schools. This is the revolution's reason for being. This year we are commemorating the International Year of the Child as is every country in the world. But for us and our socialist revolution every year is the year of the child. [applause] Every month, every day, every hour and every minute is the month, day, hour and minute of the child. [applause] What has the revolution done over these 20 years if not this? And we have had successes, great successes and advances, great advances. [applause] But we are not nor can we ever be satisfied. We want tomorrow to be like what we see here--the interest, the nobility and the purity we see here in you this afternoon. And that when you become adult citizens you become better than those of today if that is possible. [applause] So that the motto of each Pioneer, the main motto that of forging oneself for a fundamental purpose and with a personal watchword and goal--to every day be better. [applause] The task of revolutionary education begins at your age. The task of patriotic education, the task of forming one's character and the task of forming one's awareness begins in the first grade, and even before the first grade--it begins In the child care centers. [applause] And I can repeat what I said a few days ago to teachers who had just graduated. The success of our revolution and the future of our revolution will depend on the form in which we are able to form the new generations. [applause] This is why we have our Pioneer organization, our youth, [young communists] our party and our education institutions. The Pioneer organization becomes strong through its experience, it gains strength. Now one can see the justness of the measures adopted through the initiatives of the communist youth, that of raising the age of Pioneers and to include in the Pioneer organization children in the seventh, eighth and ninth grades. [applause] And next year the ninth [as heard] grade students will be included. And see how we have gained in quality. Today one can see this in the cultural groups, in the spectacle presented this afternoon. Therefore we have a stronger organization, more solid and more efficient. It seemed that all things dealing with Pioneers, it seemed to some that it was a type of entertainment for children in the first, second and third grades. But the Pioneer organization has nothing to do with this. It is not to entertain the kids. It has very important functions. It has fundamental functions in our society. [applause] They are very important, but maybe it is more important when looking to the future than any other mass organization. [applause] I am not going to speak a lot about the beauty of these buildings. They are beautiful but they will be more beautiful. We still lack green areas in some places. Therefore this [Pioneer] palace will be becoming more beautiful. One installation is still lacking, the theater. But we have the formal solemn and serious pledge of all those involved in construction to build this theater and have it completed by next year. This is the only thing lacking, the theater. [applause] Well, now on the question of maintenance. The little Pioneer who spoke here said that they were going to take great care, that they were going to take meticulous care. We hope it will be exactly this way, [applause] that the most meticulous care is given to maintaining the buildings, installations and equipment, and all installations. We have seen the three swimming pools, magnificent swimming pools. And if there would be one to be used to learn how to swim and another for competition. What a great thing it would be if these swimming pools would be used to teach everyone how to swim, for the Pioneers to learn how to swim. I know of course that these three pools are not enough for the over 400,000 Pioneers of Havana to learn how to swim. The existing installations have to be better used. And we do not want it said after wards that the swimming pools do not have water, and that they do not have water because of a broken pump, and that it has been 25 days without water because the pump has been broken for 25 days and no one has fixed it or because there is no chlorine and chlorine has not been provided, as has happened sometimes at other swimming pools. This has even happened at some sports training schools. If I am not very mistaken [it happened at] the "Martires de Barbados" School itself in Havana City [applause] Of course there were construction problems. I do not know what was stopped up. Whoever builds a school should be aware of all completions at the school. And if there are any problems at its inauguration, help the school begin operation. Whoever is the director of the school or who make up the management team at the school should move heaven and earth when swimming pools are stopped up, pumps are broken, there is a lack of chlorine or whatever. [applause] But do not let months or even weeks go by. And if it is possible to resolve it in hours, resolve it in hours. There is nothing more painful than to see an installation which cannot be used. [applause] One has to have exquisite maintenance of all these installations and equipment. And this is one of the habits which we want you to acquire. Because you know that there are some in this country who do not have these habits. Do you know that? Yes you know. I do not say this of you. What we do not want is for you to sometimes, for some of you to be some of those who have these bad habits. [applause] Many delegations will surely visit this [Pioneer] palace. Not because of this, but also because of this, this palace should be a model in everything. Its experiences should serve to help us improve the rest of the palaces which we will build. Its experiences should serve to better organize the future palaces. And I am sure that there are few things which our country can show, and which the Pioneer organization can show, which is as beautiful as this institution. The Pioneers of Havana City, who will be the ones to make greatest use of this palace, have the obligation through their participation and through their work to contribute to making this institution a true model. The Central Palace... [changes thoughts] which of course will be used by the whole country in a certain way. But it cannot be used by the rest of the country every day. But the best Pioneer centers of the country will come every year to this Central Palace in the summertime when the school term is over. But because we are lucky to have very good school installations near here, very close by we have the "Salvador Allende" School and also very close by we have the Electronics Technical Institute, we have the "Lenin" School, there is capacity for [housing] 10,000 students around here. Therefore it is possible to use some of these installations in the summertime when they are not being used, which have capacity for 3,000 or 4,000 [students] to have the most outstanding [Pioneer] centers of the whole country to meet here every year at this national center. [applause] And it seems to me that by staying at the "Lenin" School for example [applause] and carrying out activities at this beautiful center, one would not have a bad summer, true? [children shout "yes"] What do you think? [indistinct shouts] Would it be an encouragement, a prize for the most outstanding [Pioneer] centers in the country? But because of this I repeat there is a need for everyone's cooperation and participation for giving special encouragement to the Scientific and technical centers throughout the nation. If you want an idea of the effort needed to have institutions of this type, suffice it to say that the total cost of this installation in buildings will be ...[changes thought] when the theater is completed will be between 12 and 13 million pesos, and around 3 million [pesos] in equipment and furniture. No less than 15 million pesos in total. This is the cost of this installation. There is a need to recognize and express thanks at this ceremony for the magnificent and extraordinary cooperation provided by all organizations in equipping and organizing this center. There is a need to make special mention of the construction workers of the number 16, 17 and 18 brigades, and the youth detachment which worked at this project and also to express thanks to some internationalist young people, such as those of the Georgi Dimitrov Brigade--who also participated and contributed to the construction of this center and to all construction enterprises which through their maximum efforts were successful in having this project inaugurated today as a present to the children of our country. [applause] We have one more topic. Something still missing. [laughter] What could it be? [indistinct shouts] Oh, these Pioneers are lively. [laughter] The name [of the palace]. You are the representatives of the...[shouts of "this meeting" from the children] of the meeting, but you are the most outstanding [Pioneer] leaders of the country, true? [shouts of "yes" from cadre classes] Is that not true? [applause and shouts of "yes" from the children] And in addition you are vanguards. [applause and shouts of "yes' from the children] Then we belong to the same organization now, not only of the Pioneer [organization] but also vanguards of the Pioneers. [shouts of "yes" from the children] Correct. I have to express my deepest and most emotional thanks for this highest honor [Pioneer national vanguard insignia] which you have presented to me. [applause] (Landi) [reference to Pioneer boy who spoke earlier] said that this commits me to continue making my modest efforts for the Pioneers, the Pioneer organization, the palace, etc. Well, and the name [of the palace]? [the names of Paquito Rosales, Che Guevara and other indistinct names are shouted by the children] We are not going to start a controversy here because we will split ourselves and that is not good. [indistinct shouts from the children] There were other proposals, this is the first time that I hear these. There were also some of the two which were told to me which were the most discussed or which were proposed. [the names of Paquito Rosales and Che Guevara and other indistinct names are shouted by the children] Well, what does your--what does your--a question now, what does your watchword say? [indistinct shouts from the children] What is your slogan? [shouts of "we will be like Che" are heard from the children] What is your motto? [shouts of "we will be like Che" are heard from the children] Pioneers for communism, we will be like Che. And do you not think that we should name this center Che? Do you agree with [word indistinct] [indistinct shouts and applause] Do we agree? [prolonged applause] I think we should keep in mind the [other] name you indicated [shouts of "yes" from the children] so that an upcoming Pioneer palace [shouts of "yes" from the children] will be named after him [presumably Paquito Rosales] [shouts of "yes" and applause] Therefore the name will be the "Ernesto Guevara" Central Palace of Pioneers. [shouts and applause] Do you agree? Raise your hands. [children raise their hands] Good. [applause] And think what a glorious and heroic combination of names are joined here. We have the Lenin Park and now the Ernesto Guevara Pioneer Center. You will not believe it but we thought a lot about where we should build the Pioneer Palace. Because the idea for the Lenin Park arose in face of the fact that in an enormous city which has 2 million inhabitants had for all practical purposes no green areas. There were no green areas. And it was decided to devote an area to thin out the area of Havana City with an area of about 400 hectares where we did not want much building. Just a minimum of construction, only indispensable installations. But that this should be a park which is truly beautiful with green areas. This is already a beautiful reality. And when discussions were held on where this palace could be erected, it is true that we thought about this a lot. For example I racked my brain. There was the contradiction--this palace is big and there are many buildings, would it not spoil the park? But then there were other arguments--what better place to locate the palace than in the park, what more beautiful place, what place with greater attraction for the Pioneers themselves who will visit it, the palace. I repeat, of course some of the installations will be visited by all Pioneers, some will be visited by many Pioneers who are in various sports activities, many, practically all Pioneers can visit the palace. They can see some of the halls. This is to say that some of the installations will be used by a number... [changes thought] by almost all of the Pioneers of Havana. And therefore it was an advantage for it to be here in this area. It was assigned 30 hectares, 30 hectares. You know what a hectare is, true? Ten thousand square meters. Therefore there are 300,000 square meters of land. I warn you that these 300,000 meters are not taken into consideration in the value...[changes thought] in the cost of the school [as heard]. How much would it have cost, how could one have got 300,000 square meters in the past, how much would all of this have cost? Therefore you have been able to have at your disposal 30 hectares in Lenin Park. We believe that this is a magnificent combination--the Lenin Park and the Palace of the Pioneers. And both institutions--as well as the names Lenin and Ernest Guevara make a magnificent combination which is honorable and encourages all of us. [applause] All we have to do now is to wish all the children of our country much happiness. We wish you good vacations, we say good and deserved vacations. [indistinct shouts from the children] And we wish you a next school term which is even more successful than this school term which has just ended. And we hope that from very young you will know how to be studious, disciplined, aware and revolutionary men and women. This is what we hope from our Pioneers. [applause] Fatherland or death! We will win! [shouts of "venceremos" and applause] -END-