Far-right forces are rising across Latin America and the Caribbean, armed with a common agenda of anti-communism, the culture war, and neoliberal economics, writes VIJAY PRASHAD
THE British education system often seems beset by gloom. Teachers are dispirited and alienated from the profession — and so they are leaving in droves. If we try to analyse the cause, it is difficult to pinpoint any one factor.
Is it Ofsted? Is it the relentless pursuit of grades? Is it the deskilling? The polarisation in the absurd “trad v prog” debate? Is it poor behaviour? Low pay and overwork? Is it simply that we feel undervalued? Maybe all of the above?
It was therefore a privilege to meet Dr Santiago Rivera at Bolton Socialist Club earlier this month where he discussed education in Cuba, Cuban life more generally and the challenges faced by the illegal blockade of Cuba.
A teaching delegation to Cuba offered IAN DUCKETT a powerful glimpse into a schooling system defined by care, creativity and the legacy of the island’s remarkable 1961 literacy campaign
While ordinary Americans were suffering in the wake of 2005’s deadly hurricane, the Bush administration was more concerned with maintaining its anti-Cuba stance than with saving lives, writes MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS
During visits to Cheney School and Oxford Brookes University, Ismara Mercedes Vargas Walter highlighted how Cuba devotes half its budget to education, health and social security despite the US blockade, reports ROGER McKENZIE



