Read for your life! Why is Education Free in Costa Rica? They Got Rid of the Military! Something to think about! Education in Costa Rica The Costa Rican Education System Since 1948, Costa Rica has been one of the few countries without a military, and is probably the most significant nation without an army after Japan. The expenditures the nation used to have for arms and their standing army was redirected towards, amongst others, education. This is one of the reasons why today, Costa Rica boasts the most advanced and highest quality education system in the region. Education is generally free in Costa Rica, and every citizen is obligated to receive education by law. Thus, Costa Rica has a literacy rate of 96%, one of the highest of all Latin American countries. In a recent report issued by the United Nations, the Costa Rican education system was ranked highest in Latin America. Educational Standards in Costa Rica Primary education is compulsive between the ages of 6 and 13, and is attended by most every child in the country. Secondary education leaves pupils two choices of specification: academic (5 years) and technical (6 years) schools. Both types of institution enable students to acquire high school diplomas, which qualify them for tertiary education at universities. The Ministry of Education introduced programs to guarantee widespread knowledge in computer sciences and English as a second language (ESL) to keep the Costa Rican youth and workforce on par with international standards. ESL in particular is a main focus. The Ministry hopes to get 25% of high school graduates to C1 level of skill (‘competent user’), and all others to at least basic levels of comprehension in the years to come. Schooling for Expat Kids The nation is also home to a variety of private schools of different cultural backgrounds, including the US, UK, France, Germany and Israel, amongst others. Expat children will feel right at home at these bilingual schools and remain in touch with their native culture. Expats moving to Costa Rica with their teenage kids could also simply enroll their offspring in the local high schools, as the quality of education in Costa Rica is exceptionally high for the region. The Costa Rican education system provides the country with a steady stream of new, highly skilled future professionals and is one of the main pillars of the nation’s social and economic stability and prosperity. All this educational excellence unfortunately comes at a price for expats. As we have mentioned in our article on working in Costa Rica, your chances of employment in the country are slim to none if you do not possess special skills that are not available or rare domestically. Only specifically trained professionals or company heads have a real shot at legally working in Costa Rica.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:16:47 +0000
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