Díaz-Canel Chairs National Opening of 2018/2019 Academic Year

The ceremony took place at the recently restored Rafael María de Mendive Elementary School

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, president of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, chaired an event held this morning in Old Habana opening the 2018-2019 academic year for two million students at 10,000 schools across the island.

The ceremony took place at Rafael María de Mendive Elementary School, inaugurated on this day 150 years after the country’s national hero, José Martí studied at the site.

Education Minister Ena Elsa Velázquez, Havana City Historian Eusebio Leal, Vietnam’s ambassador in Cuba, Nguyen Trung Thanh, and other guests attended the opening of the school that bears the name of Martí’s teacher.

The City Historian’s Office was recognized its work on the building’s renovation, originally the San Pablo College, preserving its colonial features and even some pieces of furniture from the 19th century used by Mendive.