Parents apologise for students’ behaviour in Cuba

Some of the parents of 138 medical students expelled from Cuba have met Republic of the Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso to apologise and discuss the future of their children.

The students, who had been studying on a six-year medical course in Havana, were expelled after they demonstrated earlier this year claiming that their grants had not been paid for 27 months, reported Radio France Internationale (RFI) at the time.

In March they took part in a demonstration outside the Congolese embassy which was dispersed by police. One of the students said the Congolese authorities had agreed to pay six months of their grants, but not the full 27, and they had refused.

Two weeks later the students staged what authorities claimed was a violent demonstration at a university campus in Havana. The students also went on strike, refusing to attend their courses.

Cuban authorities said it was up to the Congolese Education Ministry to resolve the problem, and warned that the students' indiscipline would not be tolerated and appropriate measures would be taken. But there was no response from the Congolese, reported RFI.

The 138 students were later expelled for violence and for “poor educational results”, reported RFI.

This month, a delegation of their parents, led by Jean François Galomi, went to meet Sassou Nguesso to apologise for the behaviour of their children and to discuss their future. “We went to see the president to offer our sincere apologies for the misdemeanors committed by our children in Cuba, which is a sister republic. No parent can ever approve when there has been fault,” RFI reported Galomi as saying.

The future of the students, whether reintegration in their courses or a change of studies, would be a matter for negotiation with the government, reported RFI.

About 2,000 Congolese students are studying in Cuba. – Compiled by Jane Marshall.

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.