Guantánamo.- Guantánamo held the municipal opening ceremony for the 2025-2026 school year at the Desembarco del Granma special school, the first for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which opens its doors on the 1st of September as one of the new features of the new academic year.
The center has an initial enrollment of 25 students, 19 with early childhood ASD and six with Down syndrome who previously studied at the institution and will complete their time at the school this school year, said Luz Hernández Blanco, Municipal Director of Education.
As part of the preparations for the start of classes at the school, some areas have been expanded, such as a playground, a sandpit, and a pool, for the therapies the children require, from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., he noted.
This is the tenth school of its kind to open in Cuba, helping these children navigate society by working with communication and sensoriality.
Another new development this school year, he added, is the opening of the Carreterita Junior High School. With 55 children, this annex to Francisco Rosales Benítez will benefit the communities of La Javilla and Carreterita itself, which have maintained this historical approach due to the need to reduce the number of child commuters, bring services closer to the population, improve the quality of learning, and generate employment in the community.
The Guantánamo municipality will begin this school year with the planned 106 institutions renovated and an enrollment of more than 32,500 students, ranging from the Educate Your Child Program to adult education, as well as the majority of the basic educational materials guaranteed.
The teaching staff will be reinforced with 22 workers from ETECSA, the Valvo company, the Electric Company, the Construction Company, Geocuba, and the Government, in addition to the integration of fourth-year students from the Pedagogical School, who are encouraged to learn by doing at the corresponding educational levels.
