Fidel Castro and Mao Zedong Education policies

What was education like in China and Cuba, prior to the rise of Mao/Castro? High illiteracy Private education not accessible to poor rural inhabitants, significant city/country divide China High illiteracy Mostly decentralized education (China politically disunited) Very few universities (all located in urban areas) maintained standards of excellence Chinese academics between 1920- 1949 had discovered an interest in Western art/literature

What were the similarities and differences in Mao’s and Castro’s ideologies concerning education? Wanted to improve the quality of life of the lowest social classes Wanted to eliminate the educational urban/rural gap Mao Wanted to remove western/capitalist and traditional/Confucian elements from Chinese culture Disliked the educated urban elite, felt its members where out of touch with the realities of life in rural areas

What were the practical goals of the two leaders? Castro Eliminate illiteracy Bring availability of education to all social classes Shift focus towards technical education Technical innovation, industrial and economic growth Mao Decrease illiteracy Form a generation of individuals devoted to the regime Shift focus towards technical education Technical innovation, industrial and economic growth

What actual policies were adopted? Castro Cuban Literacy Campaign, lifted literacy from 60-70% to 96% Literacy centers, literacy marches Obligatory elementary school Universally free education Nationalization of private schools and universities Construction of new schools with heavy focus on rural areas that lacked educational infrastructure Politically “inconvenient” university professors often dismissed Mao Chinese Academy of Science (1949) Large polytechnics University entrance exams abolished (1966) Intellectuals sent to labor camps and generally persecuted Down to the Countryside Movement (1960’s – 1970’s) Introduced simplification of Chinese characters to reduce illiteracy Western influences removed from curriculums, replaced by Maoism

To what extent were the two leaders’ policies successful? Castro Illiteracy almost entirely eliminated Lower classes benefited the most Level of education of different social classes much more balanced Renovating higher education proved more challenging “Brain drain” Unbalance in favor of technical education Mao China’s education virtually frozen Formation of entire generation of “inadequately educated” individuals Large numbers of potential university students sent into the countryside after high school, often referred to as “China’s lost youth” Impacts on illiteracy minimal, varied by region Illiteracy rates did not improve/improved marginally in most regions

What is the legacy of the policies adopted by Mao and Castro? Cuba Castro’s reforms still today considered a crucial part of Cuba’s development Highly ranked education system, best in entire South America by some indicators All education completely free High teacher/student ratio Schools deeply integrated with communities, offer various forms of social aid to families China Simplified Chinese characters are official character standard in use in PRC Education still today a focus of controversy Natural sciences and technical subjects have remained the focus, although humanities experienced a revival in the ‘70s and ‘80s Post-Mao, further education of already educated elite has been encouraged Learning technical expertise from abroad now encouraged