Education in Costa Rica

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Education in Costa Rica

The education system in Costa Rica is accessible to all students and includes public elementary and high schools in every community. Elementary school is six years. High school includes three years of general education and two to three years of specialized training. Students then receive a title in arts and sciences or a Costa Rican Bachillerato Diploma, which the Costa Rican Ministry of Education accredits. Some private schools are also available to Costa Rican students.  (CostaRica.com, 2023)

 Costa Rica also provides preschool education for all children under five. They are leading the way in providing early childhood development and pre-primary education. Children under five must attend. They realize that providing this education to young children benefits the entire community, as more and more countries are learning that early education will benefit the economies if they can educate young children earlier. Early education is beneficial because a young child's brain, ages 0-5, is developing more at this time than at any other time. (Lecreic, 2018)

                  A typical day for a student in Costa Rica, according to (Foster, 2018) 

The day begins at 7:00 am; the students have two lessons of forty-five minutes each before going on a five to ten-minute break. The students then do two more lessons of 45 minutes each. Students eat lunch, have recess, and then leave for home at 12:35 pm. A second round of classes begins at 12:40 pm and ends at 5:40 pm. Students go to school five days a week and rotate morning and afternoon classes, meaning a student will go to morning classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and afternoon classes Tuesday and Thursday. Classes begin in September and end in July.

Only five percent of Costa Ricans earn a college degree; these are students who have graduated from high school. 31% of younger women earn a tertiary education, with only 25% of men earning the same education. (Education at a glance, 2019) 

Topics of study in Costa Rica's schools

Classes are taught in Spanish and English; multilingualism is a critical component of education in Costa Rica. Classes are similar to those studied in the United States; they include academic, art, and physical education. Costa Rican public schools also offer religious classes in Catholicism. Parents can choose to have their children opt out of these classes. Students who opt-out will spend time in the library or working on other tasks. Schools also offer classes called orientación; these classes are taught by a counselor. These classes are to help the students navigate social-emotional challenges and conflicts. Schools in Costa Rica also offer accommodations for children who need extra help with their learning, called adecuaciones. Education is a priority in Costa Rica. In 1949, after a short civil war, the entire budget dedicated to the military was used to finance education in the country. Costa Rica's education culture is that education is free for all, not just the wealthy. They believe that this will only make the country better. (Quesada, 2019) 

Bibliography

CostaRica.com. (2023, October 26). Retrieved from Costa Rica's education system: https://www.costarica.com/relocation/costa-ricas-education-system

Education at a glance. (2019, July 19). Retrieved from www.oecd.org: https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_CRI.pdf

Foster, L. (2018, September 12). Culture and education: Daily Routines at school in Costa Rica. Retrieved from Common Ground International Language Services: https://commongroundinternational.com/spanish-for-educators/culture-and-education-daily-routines-at-school-in-costa-rica

Lecreic, T. (2018, April 6). Costa Rica shows the way by providing primary education for all children. Retrieved from Theirworld: https://theirworld.org/news/costa-rica-shows-the-way-provides-pre-primary-education-for-every-child/

Quesada, M. (2019, May 20). The Costa Rica Education System and cultural experiences for student trips. Retrieved from Costa Rica Explorations: https://www.costaricaexplorations.org/costa-rica-education-system/

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