Havana, Cuba - Cuba's education minister on Thursday confirmed that the new school year would begin as planned on September 1, despite a severe energy crunch underscored by another major blackout.

Minister Naima Trujillo admitted that restarting classes presented a "challenge" in a context of rolling blackouts and chronic food and fuel shortages that have brought the island to its knees.

She said that, in recognition of the crisis, which has brought life on the island to a near standstill, schools would be tolerant of students arriving late or not in uniform.

"The biggest challenge of this school year will be to simply have it at all," Trujillo said.

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Shortly after she spoke, the national electricity company announced that power had been knocked out in four of eastern Cuba's five provinces – the latest in a relentless series of blackouts that have caused misery for millions.

The Union Electrica de Cuba utility said the blackout was caused by a transmission failure that severed electricity supplies from three power plants.

Several hours later, the company said that power had been restored.

Washington began blocking oil shipments to Cuba in January, as President Donald Trump tries to bring down the government.

The Trump administration has also tightened sanctions on the island, causing an exodus of foreign investors.

The measures have accelerated an already severe crisis, marked by draconian electricity rationing and drastic shortages of fuel, drinking water, and subsidized food.

In recent weeks, power cuts have lasted for up to 30 hours at a time in Havana and for days on end in rural areas, leaving many with no respite from the suffocating summer heat.

Yannay Miranda, the mother of a six-year-old girl, said that despite the collapse in basic infrastructure, she would do everything possible to get her daughter to school next week "so that she doesn't stop learning."