A teacher tells ’14ymedio’ that schools have had to readjust class programs due to power cuts
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 21 September 2024 — With dark circles under their eyes letting out long yawns, the children and teenagers of Cienfuegos were heading to school this Friday after a night of intense blackouts throughout the city. Overwhelmed by the heat, many of them could only fall asleep in the early morning, when the fans and air conditioners were turned on for just three hours. Waking up these days is more difficult than usual, because the night becomes too long in the face of involuntary insomnia.
“They turned off the power at 6:00 in the evening and turned it back on at 4:00 in the morning. It was ten uninterrupted hours of blackout in which my son had to do his homework with the light of a rechargeable lamp. His food was a pizza, because my stove is electric and I couldn’t cook. We ended up lying on the couch, with the living room door open and mosquitoes coming in,” says the child’s mother, Ania.
She and her son walk two kilometers every day, leaving their house in the Tulipán neighborhood to reach the school. “The teacher told me that in the last few days the child has fallen asleep in class. If I had someone to leave him with, I wouldn’t take him to school while the blackouts continue like this,” says the mother, who confesses to being very worried because not only her rest, but also her son’s learning has been interrupted.
Due to the lack of public transportation, many family members and students have to get up between 5:00 and 6:00 in the morning to get to the morning classes on time. “In La Juanita we were without electricity for 16 hours straight. Even so, my grandson wanted to come to school, with a piece of bread and a little coffee as his only breakfast. Who can learn when hungry and sleepy?” asks Pablo, an old man.
The old man sees several sides to the problem, as his daughter is a teacher at a secondary school. “In addition to dealing with the children’s fatigue, she has to fight against her own physical and mental exhaustion.” Pablo tells 14ymedio that, “as if that were not enough, the government called her to do night shifts at El Prado, to avoid any protests from the people about the blackouts. This is unsustainable,” he adds.
In recent days, of the 60 megawatts consumed by the province – 75 at peak times – there has been a deficit of more than 90%. For students and teachers, the resulting blackouts translate into poor academic and professional performance. “When 11:00 in the morning comes, we are all desperate to go home, knowing that, in the case of adults, we will be forced to do all the housework without electricity,” says Claudia, who teaches Geography.
According to the teacher, schools have had to readjust class schedules, taking into account the difficulties with electricity and the low attendance of students. “We are just starting the school year and we have already had to start ’inventing’ to make the most of the little time available. Parents complain, with reason, that the teaching is of poor quality. We move children up a grade without providing them with sufficient knowledge,” laments Claudia.
There are many students and teachers who arrive at school in the morning walking slowly. They have in their eyes the weight of several nights without getting enough sleep. “Nobody calculates the gravity of this situation, not only for the present, but also for the future of the country. In addition to not being able to cook, wash or iron, we must add the damage that is being caused to the educational system with these endless blackouts,” says Pablo. The old man insists that the Cuban authorities, instead of worrying about a possible social explosion, should fear that children and teenagers will reject school due to the lack of electricity.
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
