Fidel Castro, sixth grade graduation ceremony of Primary Schools
- From: marcelocrisanto@xxxxxxx
- Date: 28 Jul 2005 08:10:00 -0700
Cuban President Fidel Castro highlighted the endless potential of
the island's educational system for all Cuban children, during the
graduation ceremony of 1,264 sixth graders in the municipality of
Cardenas, Matanzas.
President Castro noted that the country's education system now has
more than 15,000 intensively trained teachers, 29,000 social workers
(all graduated from new programs of the Revolution), and that
schools exist in the most remote communities of the island.
University education has expanded and is being taught even at the
municipal level, and Cuba now has a state-of-the-art University of
Informatics Sciences.
"In Cuba, any child can study what he or she wants, be it astronomy,
education, painting, dance or medicine," said the president.
He said that fifty years ago few people had access to education and
many never reached the sixth grade. He noted that today all Cuban
children can study at all education levels and acquire the necessary
knowledge for their careers.
Referring to what Cuba has done and is doing to help others,
President Castro recalled that 10,000 foreign students are currently
studying medicine with full scholarships provided by the island and
that "many others will continue to come."
Fidel Castro referred to the high illiteracy levels plaguing most
Third World countries. On the positive side, he cited the
educational revolution underway in Venezuela as an example of what
can be achieved in areas like education when there is a strong
determination to do so.
Regarding kids who have suffered from accidents or have been born
with congenital problems, he said that more than 50,000 Cuban
children are enrolled in special education centers.
Fidel reflected on those countries that slander Cuba but have
nothing to show to the world in terms of social achievements. He
asked the audience if there is another place in the world where the
children have their future more securely guaranteed.
The leader of the revolution said that Cuba, a country of 11 million
inhabitants, has 9,029 schools with 90,867 teachers. He noted that
elementary school classes have a maximum of 20 students.
Fidel Castro said the country's emphasis on educational programming
on TV has contributed to the deepening of knowledge. With presently
one computer per every 45 grade school students, the president said
that figure will continue to improve as the country moves to keep up
with technological advances.
The Cuban President announced that in September Cardenas will have a
local TV station, news the population received with enthusiasm.
Finally, Fidel read the teacher's positive sixth grade evaluation of
Elian Gonzalez, the survivor of a tragic sea journey and subsequent
kidnapping orchestrated by right wing groups in Miami. In what
became a daily front page world news item, Elian was returned to his
father and Cuba following a huge campaign waged by the Cuban people
with international support.
SPEECH GIVEN BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA, FIDEL CASTRO
RUZ, ON THE OCCASION OF THE SIXTH GRADE GRADUATION CEREMONY OF
PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN CÁRDENAS, MATANZAS, ON 21 JULY 2005.
(Stenograph version - Council of State)
Dear graduates and famillies;
Dear people of Cárdenas;
Dear compatriots;
It goes without saying that this is a very special occasion. I have
been watching Elián and I have to say that I feel as moved as he to
be at this forum.
I mustn't go on for too long, it's quite hot and we have been lucky
that the rain has respected our ceremony.
I hope there isn't a power cut (laughter), but I asure you that if
there is it won't last long, just as long as necessary, and you can
take my word for that, well, except if the world comes to an end,
that's another matter entirely, and I hope that it doesn't happen.
I'm sure that many ideas and memories occupy our minds; the
hurricane, this one, the other one, the one last year, the one that
came after that, the one that came this year, the one that passed
close by, and those to come. None is any match for us. A much worse
and more powerful hurricane, that is also armed with nuclear
weapons, yes, because the blow that was dealt us when it hit the
country, over in the province of Granma and part of the province of
Santiago de Cuba, was very nearly, as seen from the air, the closest
thing to a nuclear explosion, without the radiation, but powerful
enough to destroy everything. It is impossible to forget the image
of Pilón, of Cabo Cruz and Niquero. Lots of nuclear weapons, one
every 10 kilometres, we saw the after-effects over in Hiroshima and
it was terrible, but it covered an area, a diametre, of 10 or 15
kilometres, it destroyed everything; but a hurricane of this speed
devastates anything in its way, for hundreds of kilometres.
We feared for Cárdenas, given the way it was heading, the huge range
in which the gale-force winds, as they say, were sometimes reaching
up to 200 kilometres; luckily, it was losing power, due to a big
mistake that it made, it wasn't like the one last year that entered
directly from the Caymans, it came via the sea and passed directly
through the province of La Habana and penetrated the capital; this
one decided to enter via the very place, give or take, where the
Girón mercenaries entered, and it met with pretty much the same fate.
It entered in that direction, and it was something that we knew very
little about, and it was coming directly towards La Habana, on its
right-hand side was Matanzas, Cárdenas and Varadero. It wasn't long
since the other one had passed through, Michelle had passed by on
its way to the south east.
In five years that citrus plantation has been hit by three
hurricanes, and this one was headed the same way; but it covered
around 300 kilometres, it was losing strength; it gave its all, with
even gusts of 300 kilometres per hour, but the wind was losing
momentum and its range was diminishing and, although the wind was
still strong when it entered the province of La Habana, almost 200
kilometres, it destroyed a much smaller area. When it entered it was
a category four and by the end it ranked as a category one; however,
it has been one of the hurricanes that has caused the most material
damage.
The other one was coming from more or less the same direction, and
we were monitoring it, and while we were taking urgent measures to
help those affected, we were now preparing ourselves for the second
hurricane as well, and we're ready. I can assure you that we can
withstand them, one, two, three, and we will perfect our mechanisms,
so that, as on many other occasions, there is not one single victim.
It can destroy anything it wishes, but in the eyes of the Revolution
a human life is worth more than anything that a hurricane could ever
destroy.
I hope that no-one doubts what I am saying.
Afterwards the rains came, arriving after one of the most severe
droughts, or maybe even the worst to have ever affected our country;
for many months hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people had to
get their water from trucks, tankers, tractors, at a time when the
price of diesel is over 500 dollars per ton, and petrol costs 600
dollars per ton.
Those who don't really stop to think about things should bear in
mind that oil is not water, diesel is not water, petrol is not
water, it doesn't fall from the sky, it isn't overflowing and the
shortage of it is overwhelming. It is necessary to invest large sums
of money into each of these substances: They don't fall from the
sky, you have to earn them by the sweat of your brow or with energy
and intelligence.
We still have a lot to learn, and we are going to learn, you can
take my word for that as well.
Today even nature pays homage to this event; it pays homage to
Cárdenas, it pays homage to this history from which so many things
have developed, from which the Revolution regained strength;
strength to wage a battle, to win it, confronted with the haughty
and immensely powerful, as powerful as it is cynical, as powerful as
it is cowardly, as powerful as it is miserable, the empire, that was
unable to sweep away this Revolution despite its winds of perhaps 1
000 kilometres, or 10 000 per hour; it was unable to quash the will
and resistance of this heroic people. Really, heroic, and you prove
this; nobody lost heart, nobody gave in to fear. Whenever necessary
this school has risen up in arms and has marched, in front of the
Interests Section, and that's how these marches, attended by
hundreds of thousand of children, mothers, youngsters, people, who
fought non stop for month after month, happened.
I can assure you that we won that battle as well, I can assure you
of this, because the fighting spirit wouldn't desist, our stance
wouldn't desist, our peaceful but efficient weapons wouldn't desist,
our truths wouldn't desist, our messages to the world wouldn't
desist, and they didn't desist. This is where the slogan, Battle of
Ideas, came from, because it was a veritable battle of ideas.
Let us remember that one of the things that increases the triumph of
those events for us and for this history of our homeland is the fact
that that is when the battle of ideas began, which will go on for a
long time and will continue to reap rewards, it will continue to
defeat the enemies.
It is clear that despite all the difficulties and all the setbacks,
the truth will out, the most just ideas multiply and millions, tens
of millions, hundreds of millions are uniting on the side of truth,
and this truth, or these truths will end up crushing the empire, and
not only from outside but also from inside; because we can never
forget that at the end of that battle of ideas around 80% of
Americans supported our cause, they supported our struggle, and they
made the outcome possible. But, as was said at the time, that was
the first step, and there are still many battles to be waged, that
are being waged.
Thank you, then, to Mother Nature, who has cooperated in this event,
there is a freshness in the air and I can see that there are lights
on, as if announcing the many lights that never go off.
I was saying that, fortunately, Cardénas has been left undamaged;
Varadero has hardly been damaged; the province's capital has hardly
been damaged, regardless of the near-on 180 000 homes affected by
the hurricane, tens of thousands of which were completely destroyed;
in spite of the many thousands of warehouses and facilities of all
kinds that were affected.
I can also assure you of something else: there has never been an
reconstruction effort such as the one that we are embarking on now.
If you like, I'll give you some facts and figures:
I have been told that after the passing of Michelle, around 80 000
zinc roofs were delivered - they were delivered for the reparation
programme -, whereas two days ago 250 000 roofs were delivered. And
this is only a warm-up for the forces and resources that will be
going into action.
I have mentioned some of these things because they cause us unrest.
I recall that on that morning I was talking to the Party Secretary
in the province: `Where are you?' He replied: `I'm in Cárdenas'. I
asked him: `How's Elián?' He is the symbol of Cárdenas. He said:
Well, I've not been able to see Elián, but I've been told that he
has had a fall'. `What, Elián has had a fall?!' - on the 8th, in the
morning. I saw him, he was laughing.
He said: `He's had about three or four stitches'.
I said: `How did he fall, what happened?' The hurricane still hadn't
arrived, it had just entered Cienfuegos, and they said: `No, the
thing is'- I don't want to accuse him- `the other one, the one with
the brilliant smile, the one that conquered half of New York that
afternoon' - he said - `he pushed him. Yes, he fell over and he's
had about three stitches'. I said: You don't say! We're not going to
announce now that Elian has had stitches'. It was okay, because
there's nothing to see, no mark, it's proof of the quality of our
doctors, isn't it?, the fact that there's not a scratch on him. I
said: `Where was he injured?' There's nothing to see. But he had
been pushed, you know when, the morning of the 8th. And, anyway, I
asked several times later on, and he was okay. I was thinking that
the hurricane was coming here or close-by.
Well, we now know what causes the most damage. The damage caused, as
we explained..., there was talk of costs of 1 400 million, the
damage is greater; but we know how to repair damage. Money is
needed, raw materials are needed, lots of materials are needed; we
will have to invest several hundred million, but not 1 400. If we
have the raw material, we can put in the rest with hard work, with
the people.
So, when it is said: so much was lost, okay, nobody is going to get
back the crops that were lost at the Jagüey citrus plantation or
many other things; but with the raw material that we are going to
have at our disposal, we will produce what was lost to the
hurricane, and much more besides; what was lost to this one, and if
another one comes along we'll add it on, and if another one comes
along, three hurricanes, we'll add them on.
Another thing I can assure you of is that with our effort and with
the resources that the country can get together, we will repair all
the damage and more besides. We'll see, within a year, on this same
date, what is going on in the country, with or without a hurricane.
This shows that, like ants, we can do things, and like ants we have
been doing things in many places; but also here in Cárdenas, we
almost loose count: the Marcelo Salado school is new, it bears no
resemblance to the one that we visited at the beginning; there is a
splendid, beautiful new museum, I believe it is called the Museum of
the Battle of Ideas. You see, this here, historic, with so many
values; you see, there is the house that we have just visited, where
José Antonio was born, it has been reconstructed and it too has been
converted into a museum; there is the repair work underway in the
schools, there are the basic secondary schools, the advances made in
the health sector over these last five years are notable, and it's
no small thing, there's more, you'll see, in important plans for
this city and others. There's lots to be done.
Varadero, one of the greatest tourist resorts in the world keeps on
growing.
The general teachers who have emerged over the last few years, the
emergent teachers, there's now around 15 000 of them, and many are
here in Cárdenas.... From Matanzas they went to Havana to study. I
remember that when we visited them, when they came back, the first
lot went to the Marcelo Salado school. Now the emergent teachers are
an institution and soon they'll have university degrees.
That's what the social workers are doing, there are 28 000 of them
now, and those days were just the beginning. What a huge force! I
was asking the young girls and boys who have just graduated from the
sixth grade what they were going to study and many of them said to
me: `I'm going to the UCI (the University of Information Science)
What a brilliant institute that doesn't stop moving forward! The
girls and boys are selected from the highest achievers from around
the country and it makes me so happy to think that many of those who
I said hello to and to whom I gave the diplomas are going to go to
that prestigious institute, a fair amount of them.
Others said to me: `I want to be a doctor'. I said: `Well be
prepared, because we are going to send you on international
missions'.
One told me that he wanted to be a painter, and another said that he
wanted to be an astronomer.
Another child said: `I want to be a teacher'. A little girl said: `I
want to be an actress'. They came one by one from over there and not
one of them was in any doubt.
Some said: `Well, I still don't know'. `Ah, you don't know?, well
you have to think about it. Okay, think hard about it, so that you
don't get it wrong'.
There I saw the mark of our people, I saw the mark of our graduates
of today, of the 1 246. What did that procession mean? What did each
reply mean?
I asked myself: `Is there any other place in the world where a
graduation group of 1 246 pupils, like this one, pass by and each
one of them knows or has some idea what they want to be? Not one of
them was in any doubt.
Let's think for a second, let's go back in a time machine 50 years,
let's find ourselves in Cárdenas, let's ask ourselves how many
pupils graduated from the sixth grade, here and in the fields; let's
ask ourselves if it could be the full hundred per cent, and all of
sixth grade age, without developmnt problems, and all with excellent
knowledge, convinced as we are that it will be greater, and that
each one of them came with their parents, bursting with pride and
satisfaction, because those who are here are not those who were the
owners of Varadero, of hotels, of large estates; no, those who are
here today are from humble famillies whose parents could not aspire
to get a university degree. How many graduated from the sixth grade,
and how many from the ninth grade, and how many from graduated from
high school, and how many could attend the only university that was
so far away?
Yes, I know one, Doctor Selman, his father was a tailor, and I
believe that as a tailor he was able to earn a decent wage, he moved
over there so that his son could study at the university.
I am one of those who was privileged enough to be able to study and
I am only too aware of the reason why, because I was not the son of
an agricultural worker or of a cane cutter or of a cattle hand or of
anyone who did any kind of labour like that. This was the chance
that befell me, I wasn't to blame by any means, and I am glad that I
made the most of the situation, that I was lucky enough to be able
to study, and therefore, go to university, when there was just the
one.
Who knows how many professionals there are among the mothers and
fathers of the children who graduate here today, teachers, health
workers, technical workers, and each and every one of them knows
that in this country their children can study whatever they wish:
from specialist in the highest level of computing and information
sciences to cosmonaut, astronomer able to scrutinise the mysteries
of the universe, of that infinity of stars that we see at night that
are hundreds of light years away, thousands of light years away,
light that travels at a speed of 300 000 kilometres per second, here
from this little corner of the Earth, from this world, from this
little planet in crisis, whose species is being threatened by the
voracity and barbarity, the ignorance and stupidity of those who
wield great power, the irresponsibleness of those who plunder the
world and today can't even save it from destruction.
Our concern for the future of these children who are graduating
here, those who have still not reached first grade, Elian's little
brothers and sisters, is and always will be very great. What does
the future hold for them in this world in which the environment is
being destroyed? What can we do to save them from the brutes, the
imbeciles, the cretins? And some people will ask themselves why I
use such strong words. But suffice it to say that the sun is setting
over here and it rises here, if you look to the North you'll see the
most incredible brutality and crimes against the world that have
never before been committed in the history of Man.
There are some very important things that concern us when we raise
our eyes and try to look to tomorrow. What will happen to these
children? We may have a hand in the cruel fate that awaits them if
this battle of ideas isn't won, this battle that is today being
waged worldwide in the name of the survival of the species. Today we
see what we dream of for them, what we wish for for our people, that
every child is born, as I have said on other occasions, anointed;
because we receive many students for all over who study medicine,
who study something else, who have the chance to take their high
school diploma even though they're from humble origins, not in the
best school, because you all know that the best schools are for the
rich people in the world, except in the country that has experienced
a revolution like ours. They do have the chance to come and study
and receive a degree in medicine, they feel that they have been sent
a gift from heaven, that they have been given the most extraordinary
news: The possibility to come and study this noble profession in
Cuba.
So, there are, for example, 10 000 medical students from other
countries here, and many thousands more will come. Our country will
become a producer of medical specialists in the world, and we will
do it because we can and because the world needs it, hundreds of
millions of human beings in Latin America and Africa and in other
countries as well.
They study, they spend 7 years here in order to graduate with a
degree in medicine, they are excellent; some of them are now going
back and what magnificent professionals they have become.
To compare their situation with that of the children of these
countries, the few who do graduate from the sixth grade, because
there is 15%, 20%, 30% illiteracy; only a handful of children make
it to the sixth grade in many of these countries and in others the
percentage is higher. In Venezuela itself, many children didn't used
to reach sixth grade, but thanks to the extraordinary educational
revolution that is taking place over there, children are now
graduating en masse as they do here.
I remember those first years of our revolution, so many pupils were
behind, so many unqualified teachers, worthy people doing what they
could, because thanks to them we set out on the road that led us to
what we have today; but there wasn't one of those children nor is
there one among the 1 246 who are graduating, and the parents here
know it, that they cannot speak with exactness, like the children
who passed by here, one by one; I am going to study this, the other
thing, the other thing, or I'm going to think about it, I still
haven't decided. But I ask you: Is there one of you who could raise
your hand, just one of the parents of the 1 246, who could say that
their child does not have the right to decide to study what he or
she wishes? From astronomy, I repeat, to a doctor's degree in
medical sciences, in philosophical sciences, or future dancers who
make stages tremble worldwide, like those here at this school,
represented by theses primary pupils of art school, even, or those
scattered around the provinces of the country, teaching dance,
music, painting, or any similar manifestation, today within the
reach of these children, because they know that they can say: I want
to be this, and they will be, with the exception of those careers
which require this or that vocation, and everyone has their
vocation, for one thing or another.
Is there, by any chance, one of you who could raise your hand,
mothers and fathers? Because you know that, even you mothers and
fathers that, due to some kind of accident, are the parents of a
child with some type of disability, or whom have been limited by an
act of nature, you know that there are places in schools for more
than 50 000 children suffering from these problems. I also ask
myself: is there any child who has been forgotten, abandoned? There
may be, but nowadays it is very unlikely that our social workers
won't find him or her.
Sometimes the ignorance in some far-off corner of the country is
such that people don't know that there is a social security service
or that it is possible to receive the care needed; but, in fact,
there is a team that finds these people, weighs them, measures their
frame to check that they are of the right weight and size for their
age group: these are the social workers.
I have devoted some time to pointing this out, because it needs to
be thought about, reflected upon. Those who have nothing to show in
this world, except poverty and pain, exploitation, plundering, abuse
and crime, try to use lies to confuse. And these people must be
asked whether there is any other place on Earth where what is being
affrmed here can be also be affirmed.
People don't realise the power of the truth. One of the greatest
secrets, maybe the most important secret, of this Revolution is that
it deals in the truth, and the truth is invincible.
Maybe I used this time well, since there was almost more than
enough, in which to share some inspired thoughts with you, an
unfogettable memory of all those children and the words that I
exchanged with them. Anything else: What personality! Sixth grade, I
saw them walk past, one by one, the girls were in the clear
majority. The boys had their personalities, but the girls; what
personality! This is a rare thing elsewhere, this is the fruit of a
different world, of a different society, quite a lot of equals in
among the inequalities.
You know that those who create inequalities here are, for the most
part, the crafty and the greedy, who as soon as the chance arises,
put their hand in people's pockets and take away their salary, even
just to get them in a van and charge them 100 pesos to take them to
Havana or wherever. We know about all of these things, don't anybody
think that we don't. And we are happy in the knowledge that all of
these things are being put to an end, and not with the use of
violence, they are being stopped through the process of enhancing
what we hace acheived, through enhancing our society. There should
be no doubt in anyone's mind, I assure you, and it won't be the job
of a group of men, it will be the job of everyone; all of you and
all of your children will lead this fight. Because some people say:
this is wrong. Ah!, but they don't criticise those who do it.
I read people's opinions on all the good things and all the bad
things; but I'm not going to go into that here, there is a lot I
have to say on the matter, but I don't want to talk about it today,
I just want to tell you that we have a lot to think about, a lot to
reflect upon and we must fight together; the defects that are still
with us, the bad habits that we still have can only be overcome if
we all join forces. And our forces shall join together!; because
truth, nobility, honesty, the greatest qualities that a human being
is capable of, can work miracles, they can make possible what for
millennia, in fact, seemed impossible.
It looks like it's might rain, I, really, have said all the most
important things; but, well, if you'd like me to give you some facts
and figures.... A bolt of lightening better not fall now and spoil
our happiness! I'm not going to let it.
The situation in the country:
`Number of primary schools, 9 029'
`Total number of pupils, 845 922'
Number of teachers in these 9 029 schools, 90 867. 16 619 of whom
are emergent.
`Almost 100% of these pupils are taught by teachers in charge of no
more than 20 pupils per class, or by two teachers if the number of
students exceeds 20.'
No-one else can equal this, as we can see, like in the secondary
schools, now there is one for every 15.'
`This year, in total, 143 435 pioneers graduated from the sixth
grade, almost the full amount.'
`In the urban sector an 86.5% enrolled in groups of upto 20, the
figure in the rural sector was 95.4%'
`99.1% of enrolled pupils benefitted from the implementation of the
double session.
`Pupil assistance is at 99.1%Who would have guessed it!'
`98% of secondary school teachers have become the class's only
teacher, substituting the old model of employing two teachers.'
`The task of ensuring that 100% of pupils stay in school has been
acheived'.
`The relationship between the pupils and their groups is at 18.8 at
national level and 18 in Ciudad de La Habana.
English lessons taught by way of videos to third to sixth grade
pupils and chess lessons to various grades continue and are received
with enthusiasm by the children and teachers.
`Regarding I.T lessons, concepts, habits and skills are formed with
the help of 41 educational software programmes, and there is one
computer for every 45 pupils'. The number of computers per pupil
will continue to rise, that is inevitable.
The educational channels transmitted 31 programmes per week aimed at
dealing with the objectives and essence of the subjects comprising
the primary education syllabus, and went on to increase to two the
Spanish language and mathematics class from the fourth grade.
`The quality assessments indicate that there is a tendency towards
increasing learning, using the results of the Fifth Operation (in
May 2001 the transformations in primary schools began) and the Tenth
Operation, which drew to a close in May 2004, were taken as a
benchmark.'
There's no meteorologist around, is there? Is Rubiera about? To tell
us if it's going to start raining or not, so that we can leave here
in an orderly fashion.
There's more, there are shortcomings which are being fought against.
`Primary education in Cárdenas'. I have all the information here;
I'm not going to read it out, it should be published.
Do you have a radio station? (The reply is affirmative) You still
don't have a television station, do you? (The answer is negative) No.
Alfonsito, when will we have a local televison station in Cárdenas?
(Exclamations and applause) Let's see, Alfonsito, give me a month.
When? (The First Secretary of the Party in the province tells him 23
August, that they have the premises) We're going to give you a
chance.
Well, we have the equipment; but Alfonso has more experience. Is
there a possibility that they´ll have it on that date? Why don't we
give them until September? When the children go back to school. You
shall have your local television station (Exclamations and
applause), artists from here, T.V announcers, programmes and news
from the vicinity. It's no longer provincial, it's local.
`Number of televisions', constantly on the rise.
`Educators, 519'
`Supply teachers, 22'. We're talking about Cárdenas.
`Degree holders, 210.'
`Retention rate, 100%' fast facts.
Scientists carried out 282 pieces of work: 85 investigations, 35
campaigns to encourage certain practices, 107 means of process, 55
educational games.
`This work was carried out by 291authors and 156 co-authors' Who
would have thought it! Etcetera, etcetera, there are more things
here..... Looking towards the sky.
What a shame, here I have the report of the little gentleman who
honours us with his presence. This is what we said on 28 June 2000:
`Our selfless teachers and educators must perform the chef d'oeuvre
of making sure that a model child, worthy of his history and his
friendliness and his talent, is, while also being a normal citizen,
a constant symbol, an example and a figure for all our nation's
children, and a reason for the educators of Cuba to feel proud'. And
here are the results.
`His academic performance is very good and he handles information on
the diverse spheres of reality, it could be said that for his
age `he know's a bit of everything'. And I would say that about some
things he knows a lot.
`He has an excellent cognitive attitude, in relation to his age; he
shows a willingness to learn and he likes to feel challenged. He
faces up to the unknown without avoiding the difficulties. He takes
a reflexive attitude towards knowledge; he often establishes a
connection between new knowledge and that already acquired,
generally arriving at the right conclusions.
`He is an observant child, who is able to make comparisons and
define things with a fair degree of precision. He is capable of
evaluating his own learning activities and that of his classmates
with a good level of exactness.
`He is attentive and hard-working, he sets himself goals and
perseveres in order to fulfil them. He is aware of his difficulties
and publicly acknowledges them.
`He is a disciplined and respectful child. He doesn't like to be
scolded, and therefore tries to do things well'. But I am sure that
also, because of the child's growing conscience, it's not just
because he doesn't like to be scolded. I have never scolded him, and
he has never scolded me, we get on very well (Laughter)
`He enjoys good personal relationships, he is sociable, gentlemanly,
especially with the girls; he takes an interest in other people's
problems; his classmates are drawn to him because of his humility
and modesty. He has a sense of responsability where his younger
siblings are concerned, to whom he is attentive without being
overprotective.'
It'd be better to be a bit stricter so that they don't go around
pushing him when a hurricane is about to hit (laughter)
`He takes into consideration the opinions of the group and has been
known to heed them when he has considered it the right thing to do.
`His respect of the group has been reflected when he has given them
reasons for not being able to take part in some activity with them
as he has had to attend unavoidable events.
`He adapts appropriately to the tasks set him, and is therefore
capable of concentrating during the television classes, copying
information, paying attention and actively participating in
recreational activities. He likes to fulfil tasks in the
participative games, without getting frustrated if he loses.
`He is clean and meticulous towards aspects of personal hygiene and
his school material.
`An important sign of his qualities is found in the fact that he was
unanimously appointed as leader of the pioneer group when he reached
the sixth grade. His sense of responsability has been evident, above
all, in the way that he assumes his responsabilities as group leader.
`Furthermore, the tasks and activities comprising this
responsability have contributed greatly to his development, and have
especially helped him to communicate in unfamiliar groups, to work
hard to represent his group in an appropriate fashion, to generate
ideas to guide the prefects and to make decisions in accordance with
his stage of development.
`He completes the sixth grade with excellent results and an
outstanding progress, today his effort matches the results he has
obtained, for which he was acknowledged by everyone as the Most
Integral Pioneer among the graduates of his school, despite the fact
that he was the first to nominate another pioneer from his class.
`He writes his own speeches'.
I have the privilege of being his friend!
Patria o Muerte!
Venceremos!
(OVATION)
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