According to historians, although the 1940 Constitution endorsed compulsory education for children, education system experienced remarkable inequalities regarding the acquisition of learning resources and opportunities, hence the nearly non-existence of teaching-learning methods for society´s poorest sectors, where urban areas showed, before the Revolution Triumph on January 1, 1959, 11% illiteracy, while in rural areas increased to 47%.

To switch the prevailing situation, characterized by misappropriation of education funds by officials back then, the revolutionary government established 10,000 new classrooms in September 1959 as top priority.

Plus, the number of rural professors went up, the general education nationalization, free learning, first comprehensive reform and the arrival of 3,000 volunteer teachers and young students emerged.

All of these factors materialized the 1st National Literacy Campaign in Cuba, which made as many as 707,000 people literate and also took other steps such as the beginning of adult education, creation of worker and peasant faculties and university access to workers.

pgh/Pll/mgt / dgh