CUBAN: EDUCATING FUTURE THIRD WORLD LEADERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91B00135R000500820066-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: January 4, 2017
• Document Release Date: April 18, 2008
• Sequence Number: 66
• Publication Date: November 3, 1980
• Content Type: REPORT

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CUBAN: EDUCATING FUTURE THIRD WORLD LEADERS
Cuba's massive program of scholarships for foreign
students is a major part of the Castro regime's drive
for influence in the Third World. In addition to edu-
cating some-201000 foreign pupils in primary and second-
ary schools on the Isle of Youth, about 6,000 foreign
students are attending universities in Cuba.* Several
thousand more are being trained in military, vocational,
and leadership subjects.
2 9 APR *113
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Third World students in Cuban classroom exhibit a salute of solidarity
*For a "detailed examination of Cuba's primary and secondary
school programs. on the Isle of Youth, see "Cuba: Molding
Revolutionary Spirit on the Isle of Youth," Latin America
Review, 23 November 1979..
-~*'The source of the above copyrighted photograph is Bohemia,
.18 August 1978. F-1
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Cuba sees an early payoff in the enhanced image of
the revolution and of President Castro as a major leader
of the Third World, but over time it envisions an elite
corps of Cuban-trained people in the developing world
eventually supplanting Western-educated individuals in
leadership positions. Two, perhaps three, generations
of future leaders will be educated by Cubans in the next
few years. 7_1
Even though Cuba is facing economic difficulties,
the Castro regime is unlikely to curtail the program.
Much of the training produces political benefits for
Cuba, and some courses, such as work-study programs in
construction and agriculture, enable the government to
take advantage of student skills. F__1
The Pattern and Programs
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Assistance to Third World countries and liberation
groups long has been a major part of Havana's foreign
policy. Soon after Cuba's revolution, Castro defined
an expanding international role for himself and his
country. He sent medics to Algeria during its struggle
against France in the late 1950s, for example, and gave
broad support to Latin American; insurgents in the early
1960s. In recent years, the scope and intensity of
Cuban internationalism have increased markedly. 25X1
In selecting candidates for scholarships, the Castro
regime has centered on developing countries and insurgent
groups that need assistance, lean leftward politically,
and generally can be labelled "progressive." The coun-
tries usually are allowed to choose from a variety of
technical assistance programs ranging from training in
medicine, education, rural development, and political
organization. F__] 25X1
Havana attempts to help the students overcome lan-
guage, cultural, and-social barriers. Before the students
arrive in Cuba, they usually are provided with information
on the Cuban revolution and Cuban culture. All students
are required to take several months of classes on topics
such as Marxist/Leninist philosophy and the'Cuban per-
spective on history and the world.
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Some students begin training at home in the Spanish
language, but more typically they undergo six months of
intensive language training in Cuba. The duration of 25X1
scholarships varies from a few weeks for symposia to as
many as seven years for medicine and engineering.
Cuba has seven basic programs designed to'represent
the full spectrum of developing countries' needs
Academic-Educational. The majority of the 6,000
students that Havana claims are studying in Cuban univer-
sities are from Angola, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Nicaragua--
all close allies of Cuba. The remainder are from 22 other
revolutionary and "progressive" countries and liberation
groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America the
Caribbean, and the Middle East. 25X1
Most scholarships apparently are for the study of
agriculture, agronomy, zoology, chemistry or other hard
sciences, and technical fields. Aiming to mold teachers
with a socialist perspective who will help forge socialist
societies, Cuba hands out a significant number of scholar-
ships annually for education programs. Scholarships for
other social sciences majors represent a minuscule amount
of the. total granted each year, mostly because the emphasis
is on educating people best sulted.to the f develop-
ing countries. 25X1
Military-Security. Military training dates from the
earliest days of the revolution and today the Castro re-
gime trains both regular military personnel and guerrillas.
Insurgents from a number of Latin American, African, and
Middle Eastern countries reportedly are trained in small
weapons and guerrilla tactics at various locations, in-
cluding the Granma Training Camp--a facility that has
been used for this purpose since the early 1960s.
Cuba's equivalent of West Point, the General Antonio
Maceo School of Combined Arms, annually graduates a
.number of foreign officers. Nicaraguans and Angolans
are instructed in the operation of small aircraft at
the Carlos Ulloa School of Civil Aviation in western
Cuba. Intelligence, VIP securit , and police training
also is available. 25X1
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construction skills.
the Ministry of Construction. Since 1976, 1,500
Jamaicans have been trained in Cuba in a variat\, of
Technical-Economic. Technical fields, such as
construction, fishing, and sugar production, attract the
largest number of foreigners. In 1979, Granma, the offi-
cial newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party,. reported
that hundreds of students, mostly from Angola, Algeria,
Mozambique, and Jamaica, were enrolled in schools of
Many of those receiving construction training
divide their time between work and study, and to some
extent they ameliorate spot shortages of Cuban workers in
that industry. Cuba also has used its expertise in the
sugar and fishing industries to train foreigners in the
development and management of these enterprises. at home.
Instruction also is offered in industrial and factory
management, foreign trade, and mining. 25X1
Health. The shortage of medical personnel in most
Third World countries makes Havana's offers of scholar-
ships in the health professions very attractive. At the
conclusion of the 1977-78. school year, a Cuban magazine
reported that 341 foreign students were enrolled in the
island's medical schools and 40 in dentistry. Up to
that time, Cuban schools had granted degrees to 144
medical doctors and 17 dentists from Africa, Asia,
Latin America, and the Middle East. Havana also trains
nurses, laboratory and X-ray technicians, paramedics,
hospital managers, ted health professionals.
Mass Organizations-Ideolo y. In its ideological
training, the Castro regime draws on its experiences to
emphasize the need to. establish organs of political
control. Most foreign students attend one of five major
schools for mass organizations or ideological training.
? The Central Organization of Cuban Workers' Lazaro Pena
Labor School and the Federation of Cuban Women's Fe del
Valle National Cadre School appear to offer the largest
? number of scholarships in this area of study. Fewer
scholarships are granted by the Nico Lopez National
Party School for the training of party cadre, the Union
of Young Communists' Julio Antonio Mella National Cadre
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School for youth organizers, and the National Associa-
tion of Small-Farm Owners' Niceto Perez National Cadre
School for workers with peasant groups. All students
undergo intensive ideological training in Marxist-.
Lem t philosophy and recruiting strategies.
Foreign Service. Students receive training in di-
plomacy at the Higher Institute of the Foreign Service
and the Hermanos Pais School. They graduate after five
to 12 month-long courses in international affairs and the
culture and customs of the country to which they will be
assigned. Also presumably covered are such topics as
administrative and organizational procedures of embassies
and foreign ministries. Heavy emphasis is placed on the
absorption of correct political ideas before the students
continue further studies in Cuba or the Soviet Union or
are assigned to posts abroad. Students in the foreign
service curriculum are from Nicaragua, Algeria, Angola,
Mozambique, and other African nations; the Palestine
Liberation Organization also has some students enrolled
in the foreign service program.
Cultural-Sports. Although few foreign students cur-
rently are enrolled in sports development and cultural
exchange studies, these programs are increasing rapidly.
Spurred on by its highly successful performance in the
1976 Olympics, Cuba is dramatically increasing its schol-
-arships for sports studies. Havana sends sports instruc-
tors to many countries, and a growing number of Caribbean
and Sub-Saharan African nations are sending students to
Cuba for instruction, mostly in sports administration and
recreation development. The cultural programs attempt to
foster greater understanding between Havana and its allies
and are an extension of existing Cuban-sponsored regional
and international organizations such as the Casa de Las
Americas'or the Cuban Institute for Friendship among
Peoples (ICAP). Havana uses its African and Latin heri-
tage as a basis for cultural exchange. In an agreement
with Guyana, for example, Havana is providing scholar-
ships in fine arts, dance, and folklore.
Costs and Benefits
At present, Havana is more persuaded by the politi-
cal than by the economic benefits of educating foreigners.
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Although the political rewards are difficult to quantify,
they sometimes manifest themselves immediately in foreign
support for Havana's foreign policy goals in international
organizations. Cuba's allies, for example, have circu-
lated propaganda in their countries denouncing the Cuban
refugees in the United States and the US presence at Guan
tanamo Bay. The extent of this type of influence,. how-
ever, is limited. The leadership in Havana also is aware
that timely offers of assistance can produce a financial
return at some later date. For example, Mozambique has
granted Cuba fishing rights off its coast in ex e for
the education of its students. 25X1
Havana benefits from the work-study programs of tech-
nical students. Many trainees serve as replacements for
Cuban technicians sent abroad. Some students help in the
sugarcane fields during peak harvest periods. Jamaican
students learning construction jobs have bee sed in
Cuban housing projects. 25X1
The monetary costs of the programs are not known.
The 6,000. foreign students that the regime claims are
studying in Cuban universities represent 4.5 percent of
the total college enrollment of 133,000 in the 1978-79
school year. The government probably allocates a like
percentage of its university budget for their education.
The thousands of foreigners in'Cuba receiving technical
training also probably command a proportionate share of
that budget. Depending on a country's ability to pay,
many scholarships provide for tuition, books, room, board,
and a monthly stipend. The costs for transporting stu-
dents to and from Cuba, including home travel for vaca-
tions and holidays, are borne by the student's home coun-
tries. 25X1
The Impact on Countries Receiving Aid
The education assistance-programs have produced
positive benefits for Cuba in a:number of countries.
Cuba's training of Nicaraguans in military and security
techniques, mass organizations, and ideological develop-
ment is contributing significantly to the consolidation
of the Sandinista regime. Managua has sent a large num-
ber of students to Cuba to study curriculum development,
boat building, and the operation of aircraft and tanks.
The Sandinistas have set up organizations similar to
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Cuba's Committees for the Defense of the Revolution and
have organized their Ministry of Interior along the lines
of its Cuban counterpart. Grenada also is selectively
adopting certain features of Cuba's Government. 25X1
In general, Havana has a long-range view of its
investment. Cuban-educated returnees rarely achieve
leadership positions at once, but they tend to act as
goodwill ambassadors for Cuba, publicizing Havana's com-
mitment to Third World development. They also return
home with skills for which their countries depend largely
on foreigners. Cuban-trained native doctors, agricultur-
alists, and teachers have replaced foreigners in Angola,
25X1
Cuba's educational efforts. sometimes are misguided
and occasionally bring disappointment. Most of the 1,500
Jamaicans trained in construction returned home with no
employment prospects. To remedy this, Havana later
donated construction materials to their Jamaican grad-
uates.. In other cases, such as in the Congo and Guyana,
longtime. recipients of Cuban training are slow to reorder
their own societies or they alter their political course.
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Havana also has to contend with complaints about the
quality of its education and indoctrination.
Disaffected students from Sierra Leone recently
occupied their embassy in Havana to protest living condi-
tions in Cuba. A few weeks ago', Dominica refused to
accept Cuban scholarships for the 1980-81 school year
because it feared that students were being propagandized.
Havana also has had problems. handling Cuban students
envious of the special status accorded to foreign scho-
larship holders.
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