Search results

A brief history of the development of higher education in Cuba, from the inception of Havana University in 1728, is followed by a discussion of its present state, focusing on its basic concepts, function, direction, & research activities. In 1962, soon after the socialist revolution, the University system was restructured to accommodate a greater number of students & to serve the needs of a rapidly industrializing national economy. The success of the former measure is evidenced by the fact that in 1975/76 there were 111 students per 1,000 population aged 20-24. The concept of career was rejected in favor of specialization, which can be more easily adapted to serve the changing needs of the economy. A 1976 law created four types of higher education institutions: the University, a center for the formation of specialists; the Higher Polytechnical Institute, which trains specialists in the technical sciences; the Higher Institute, which trains specialists in a specific sector of the national economy (eg, agriculture, forestry); & the University Center, conceived as an embryonic institution whose development may lead to the establishment of any of the preceding three types. In addition to perfecting teaching techniques, the educational system has as its permanent task the planning & control of scientific research activities. The total number of cases of higher education graduates is expected to grow from 84,000 in 1975/76 to 141,000 in 1980/81. 7 Tables. S. Karganovic.