Families in Matanzas pay up to 300 pesos a week for private tutors amid an unstable teaching staff and reduced class hours.
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, September 2, 2026 – At eight o’clock Tuesday morning, September 1, at the Mártires del Goicuría School Center in the city of Matanzas, one of the sounds most closely associated with the beginning of classes was missing: the bell. There was no electricity to make it ring. The students arrived little by little. Some were still tired from the overnight blackout, accompanied by parents carrying backpacks, bottles of water and, above all, questions.
At the spacious entrance of the former military barracks there were also no banners, podium or welcome sign. In front of the white doors, the children’s red-and-white uniforms added some color to a morning that was much less festive than usual. The adults talked about an issue that seems to have become a permanent part of the family budget: how much a good private tutor costs and which of the private teachers in the area still has room for new students.
Damaris was looking for more basic answers. Her daughter is starting third grade, and the previous week, when she went to correct the enrollment information, no one could tell her which teacher would be in charge of the classroom. “That mess has been going on since last school year,” she complains. The girl spent about three and a half months without a permanent teacher and, according to her mother, only the help of a retired educator who tutored her from Monday to Friday prevented her from falling further behind.
Since her daughter began first grade, Damaris and her husband have taken on that expense as an essential sacrifice.
Another grandfather arrived holding his grandson’s hand after crossing at the traffic light at Versailles, which was out. Three of his descendants have studied at Mártires del Goicuría, and he says he has watched the stability of the teaching staff deteriorate. His grandson even says he understands the private tutor better than his teacher.
The man pays 300 pesos a week. “It’s worth it. With him, the children learn, whereas here most of the time they are only getting half a school day, and it’s poorly used.” The private teacher does more than review the subjects: he helps with practical assignments, provides individual attention to difficulties, and even teaches basic lessons in civics and social etiquette.
On the building’s walls there are bullet impacts from another era remaining. Now the wounds are less visible things: a shortage of teachers, reduced schedules, and families who doubt that the school can guarantee basic knowledge of reading, spelling or math without outside help.
“On the News, the Education Minister speaks very nicely, but in reality even the educators she oversees are tired of so much talk that is not reflected in the monthly salary,” protests Dayana, the mother of a sixth-grade student.
She is also looking for a private tutor. She has already called two, but both have their classes completely full. “This isn’t easy,” she sums up.
Around the Mártires del Goicuría school, the activity continues. Mothers arrive holding their children’s hands, other children walk along with backpacks that already survived the previous school year, and some parents take advantage of the moment to snap the inevitable first-day-of-school photo. “This is the one I’m going to send to his aunt, who was the one who bought him the uniform in Hialeah,” one of them says proudly out loud, pointing to the impeccable white shirt worn by her son as he enters preschool.
Several minutes have passed since eight o’clock. There are no anthems or slogans. The bell remains silent. For many families in Matanzas, the new school year begins this way: with the school open, but looking outside for the teacher who can ensure that their children learn.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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