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Dear construction workers;
Dear teachers and students:
Fellow residents of Havana and Cuba:
Today, as in the glorious days of the Bay of Pigs when our
brave soldiers took less than 72 hours to wipe out the mercenary troops who had
invaded our country to destroy the Revolution, our construction workers,
supported by the people living in the capital, have achieved a great
victory.
A program was planned and implemented over a 20-month period;
it was to cover 779 primary and junior high schools in our capital city, where a
profound and unprecedented type of educational revolution that will serve as an
example to the world was initiated. Of this figure, which includes all the
schools at those educational levels, 734 were to be completely renovated and
expanded, 12 were to be rebuilt, and 33 would be newly built. The number of
classrooms needed for the program amounted to 3,287, including the rooms needed
for computer labs.
On April 27, 2001, the first 100 renovated schools were
inaugurated; by October 26, 2001, 202 had been renovated; on April 10, 2002,
renovation number 302 was inaugurated; and on June 29 renovation number 402 was
inaugurated. On that day, there were still 377 schools needing to be renovated,
rebuilt or built.
The program had to be completed by September 1, 2002. We had
only 62 days available in which to finish the program of the 779 on time and
with all the requisite quality. The 779 included 33 new schools, some of which
had not even been started.
Why such an urgent effort? It was not just a whim or a desire
to break records. It was simply that, as is traditional, classes would begin in
the first few days of September. An enormous effort to train thousands of
urgently needed teachers in intensive courses had been made and the aims of
their training had been fully met. All the classrooms already had their
televisions and all the schools had their computer labs. The 1,200 urgently
needed teachers who had been trained in intensive courses to teach computer
skills were ready. Actually, the fact of having 20 months for the program of
renovating and building thousands of classrooms and other buildings seemed to be
a perfectly adequate amount of time to complete our task without any great
pressure.
As it happens as often as not, some of the cadres responsible
for the job were overconfident. The actual fact is that, as the school year was
about to begin, it could be seen that the program was behind schedule;
calculations of the time and effort necessary were overoptimistic. Moreover,
although it was possible to work day and night during the summer, because that
was school vacation time, the excessive heat and the rains could present not
insignificant obstacles.
We became aware of the need for a titanic effort as renovation
job number 402 was inaugurated ¾ excellent work on an important and beautiful school in La
Lisa¾ with work still to be
done on 377 schools and only nine weeks to do it. All the materials were
available. We had to complete the program on schedule, do it under the strictest
quality control, and without using work forces from projects given priority
because of their economic importance or the value of the services they were
called on to provide.
The extraordinary organizational capacity of our Party and
Young Communist League, of the people of the Havana and of its grass-roots
organizations was put to the test. We had the enthusiastic support of ministries
and many agencies and companies which, from the outset, had shown great
enthusiasm in supporting a plan which would benefit all of the city’s
children.
The constituencies, People’s Councils, and People’s Power
Assemblies in each municipality devoted all the time and support needed to the
program. The contribution of teaching staff, school principals and municipal
education directors was particularly outstanding. The children’s involvement was
very moving; they inspired joy, passion and courage in everyone, doing the tasks
within their capabilities any time of day and sometimes in the early hours of
the morning. Parents and their children were also there at night or in the early
hours of the morning.
On more than one occasion the number of construction workers,
both professionals and volunteers, who worked in one day totaled almost 40,000
people. Several provinces sent reinforcement construction workers, people chosen
for their good morale and abilities. No one ever lost his or her confidence or
certainty that we would succeed.
At 9:00 p.m. today we begin this ceremony, only three hours
away from the deadline to complete the building program. Earlier today, at
around midday and at 2:15 p.m., work on the last two schools was completed. A
sport’s reporter would say that the Olympic race between the time available and
the building program for the 779 schools was won by the latter in a photo
finish.
Hundreds of thousands of people took part in one way or another
in this shared project. Many working days stretched to 16 and 20 hours. Those
involved in our endeavors in July and August were as well looked after as our
resources allowed. Counting breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks, 30 million
meals were supplied.
The total costs of the two-year school building program reached
25,851,000 in U.S. dollars and 215, 827,000 Cuban pesos. The value of the
buildings, restored, expanded or newly built can be calculated at no less than
two billion dollars. Their social and human value cannot be calculated. The 20
students per classroom at the primary level puts our country way ahead of all
other countries in the world at this educational level.
And while this was going on in the capital, other titanic
efforts by construction workers and the people were continuing in the battle to
totally repair the damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Michelle and to
meet the deadline and do so with quality. The cost of this was much higher but
equally essential.
In our city, as happens in any large undertaking, there were
contradictions, deficiencies, arguments, strong criticisms, reprimands and
discussions. There is no doubt that this contributed to some rectifications,
reorganization, strategies and tactics developed along the way, ingenious
solutions to various unforeseen problems and situations where our engineers,
architects, building technicians and chief project designers showed their
talent.
Much will be written and thousands of anecdotes will be told
about this noble and selfless epic which will bestow such great benefits on our
homeland. The experience gained will be of great use in other plans and
projects. The Revolution’s ambitious educational program will continue to expand
throughout the whole country.
As I bring my words to a close today, it only remains for me to
say that the battle was won with great dignity and courage. We can feel proud of
the feats we have accomplished.
However, a basic principle must be laid down. Today, everything
is very beautiful in the educational institutions, which look like new. As is
normal in any construction works, problems will doubtless arise in some of those
recently built, rebuilt or renovated. There will have to be a labor force ready
to find urgent solutions to those that arise at whatever point. And the most
important thing: the relevant mechanisms must be organized in the Capital, at
the municipal and people’s council level, in order to immediately carry out
repairs in any school that needs it. Appropriate, accurate, certain and
completely rational and economical calculations must be made, with care to put
aside and protect the materials needed, so that the 779 schools in the building
program just completed are always kept in the top-notch, heartening and
beautiful state they are in as we declare them open today.
A veritable culture of protecting and preserving the schools,
their resources and equipment must be encouraged in the children, the teachers,
parents, local residents and our people in general. Nothing more noble, human,
motivating and useful than a school can be created.
We must ensure that what fills us all with joy today will never
become, through laziness or irresponsibility, a source of sorrow and
frustration.
Let us safeguard what has been achieved. Let us be worthy of
the feats we have shown we can accomplish!
Long live the revolution!
Long live socialism!
Patria o muerte!
Venceremos!
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