ALARMED by undisciplined accounting across the spectrum of Cuban companies the authorities plan to send managers back to the classroom for lessons on basic bookkeeping and finances. The ruling Communist Party says managers in a wide range of state sectors, including companies and local government, will this year undergo training courses that include a basic programme on accountancy. No one will now get a job as a manager without a certificate showing basic business knowledge.

Deputy president Carlos Lage, who has led meetings in recent months to examine efficiency in various state sectors, admits there is no doubt a generalised weakness in the economy in internal control and accountancy".

Put another way, too much money is falling through the cracks in state run enterprises. It is money the ailing Cuban economy can ill afford, especially if it is lost by firms involved in the hard currency sector.

Government subsidies for state firms have been steadily reduced in recent years, as Cuba seeks to emerge from crisis triggered by the collapse of its old economic partner, the former Soviet Union.