The concept of 'democratisation of education' is highly normative and susceptible to wide-ranging interpretation; it is essential, therefore, to clarify any particularities of understanding and usage when examining a given country's performance in the area. At the heart of the Cuban strategy for democratising education has been the promise to guarantee equality of access to education for all Cubans. The democratisation of Cuban education, in all the dimensions considered, is ultimately geared towards the creation of a more democratic society. In view of the centralisation and complete politicisation of decision-making in socialist Cuba, the implications of higher educational levels in the population for increases in the quality of political mobilisation and participation demand examination. Various political pressures and material incentives may be involved in the motivations of such volunteers, but so also may be the social duty to teach: some most certainly consider it a revolutionary duty.