Every citizen has the real right to receive general education and

Hear the words of Fidel Castro, a man whose voice shook the world and whose vision stirred nations: “Every citizen has the real right to receive general education and professional training at no cost, something that the United States has not been able to ensure for all its inhabitants.” This declaration, though born in the heat of politics, carries a truth older than governments—that knowledge should not be the privilege of the few, but the inheritance of all. For the seed of wisdom is planted in every child, and the denial of education is the denial of the very dignity of man.

To call education a right is to proclaim it as essential as bread and water, as shelter and freedom. For without knowledge, a man walks blind through the world, unable to govern himself, unable to rise above ignorance, unable to shape his destiny. Castro, in speaking these words, echoes a tradition as ancient as civilization itself: that the health of a people depends not on the wealth of its elite, but on the enlightenment of all its sons and daughters.

In Cuba, after the revolution, one of the first great campaigns was the Literacy Campaign of 1961. Teachers, students, and even farmers took up the task of teaching the illiterate in mountains and villages. By the year’s end, illiteracy had nearly vanished. This was not merely a social program—it was a battle fought with chalk instead of bullets, and the victory was one of spirit. For the poorest, once voiceless, could now read, write, and claim their place as full citizens. Whatever one may think of Castro’s rule, this moment stands as testimony to the belief that education must be given freely if freedom is to have meaning.

History offers other examples. In Prussia, centuries before, the state decreed that every child must be schooled. This system, though rigid, created one of the most literate societies of its age and inspired educational reforms across Europe and America. Where universal schooling was embraced, nations grew in strength, invention, and unity. Where it was denied, ignorance bred inequality, and inequality bred unrest. Thus, the law of history confirms the law of reason: education freely given strengthens nations more than any weapon of war.

Yet Castro’s words also strike as challenge and critique. He pointed to the United States, a land of immense wealth, where opportunity was said to flourish, and noted the absence of universal guarantee. Many there could not afford higher training, and so doors remained closed to them. The land of liberty, he argued, had failed to ensure the very tool that makes liberty possible. Whether one agrees or not with his judgment, the question remains a living one: can a people truly call themselves free if knowledge is a treasure locked behind gates of privilege?

The meaning, then, is clear: a citizen’s right to education is not a gift from rulers, nor a luxury for the wealthy—it is a foundation for justice, equality, and progress. Deny it, and you weaken the people; give it freely, and you strengthen the nation. For an ignorant populace is easily enslaved, but an enlightened people cannot be bound.

Therefore, O listener, let this teaching be engraved upon your heart: defend the right to learn, and extend it to others. Support schools, share knowledge, lift up those who cannot afford the doors of learning. Teach where you can, encourage where you may, and never cease your own pursuit of wisdom. For to educate one soul is to plant a seed that may grow into a forest of freedom.

And so, remember Castro’s words—not as a weapon of politics alone, but as a reminder of a deeper law: education is the lifeblood of a people. If it flows to all, the nation flourishes; if it is withheld, the nation withers. Let us then build a world where knowledge is free as air, where learning is honored as a sacred right, and where every citizen, rich or poor, walks the earth as a full participant in the destiny of mankind.