The Escuelas de Instrucción Revolucionaria and communists in the debate on socialist education in Cuba

Abstract

In this article, we will analyze the role of members of the Popular Socialist Party (PSP) in the debate on education after the Cuban Revolution and the functioning of the Escuelas de Instrucción Revolucionaria (EIR), an educational institution that existed between the years 1960 and 1968, and which was run by members of that party. Initially, we will provide an overview of the transformations that have occurred in the island's educational field and, secondly, we will deal with the Escuelas. The EIR aimed to teach marxism, assist in the propagation of new values and form new men in line with the purposes of the rebel government. We will highlight the way the Escuelas worked, the materials and methods they used, the reasons why they were created and then dissolved, and who their leaders and teachers were. It is important for us to reflect on the role of this establishment in the process of building socialism within the Island during the 1960s and what role PSP members played within the debate and island educational institutions.