Cuban children have returned to school facing severe hardships, including frequent power blackouts, a shortage of teachers, and a lack of basic supplies such as uniforms, prompting many parents to keep their children at home. The crisis reflects Cuba's broader systemic collapse, with families resorting to bringing rechargeable lamps to classrooms to cope with persistent electricity outages. The situation underscores the deepening impact of Cuba's worst economic crisis in decades on its once-lauded public education system.