YOU’D be forgiven if, when asked to think of three words associated with Cuba, “education” wasn’t one of them. Indeed, speaking to friends and colleagues about my travelling to Cuba with teachers’ union NUT in October, “cigars,” “communism” and “mojito” were some of the top contenders. Before applying for my place on the delegation I knew almost nothing about the internal structure of the country, at least in the 21st century (as a history teacher by trade, I could answer any question you like on the Cuban Missile Crisis). 

Walking out of Havana airport, I had no real idea what to expect of my time investigating the education system of this beautiful Caribbean island, considering only the practical impact of the economic challenges that Cuba, as an economically developing nation, currently faces.

“In our school, we’re so lucky to have iPads and notebooks,” I fervently told my year nine form group the day before I left. “In Cuba they’re so poor — think about how difficult it must be learning things in school!”