Education in Costa Rica
Encyclopedia
The education system in Costa Rica
consists of three main levels. It is a duty of every citizen and an obligation to receive education, as such it is free and obligatory by law
.
, and elementary as well as high schools are found throughout the country in virtually every community. That literacy rate is based on "The percentage of people aged 15+ who can, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement related to their everyday life (UN Common Database (UNESCO))."
According to art. 78 of the Constitution
:
"Primary education and general basic education are compulsory. Though the system is said to be free, many cannot afford the required uniforms and rural schools have no books for students. The length of time daily spent in school is 3.5 hours since the school class schedule is divided into two sessions in order to accommodate the students. Those levels and the diversified education level are, in the public system, free and supported by the Nation.
Public expenditure in State education, including higher education, shall not be less than sixteen percent (16%) per annum of the gross domestic product, pursuant to law, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 84 and 85 of this Constitution.
The State shall facilitate the pursuit of higher studies by persons who lack monetary resources. The Ministry of Public Education, through the organization established by law, shall be in charge of awarding scholarships and assistance."
Public universities offer degree programs according to their specialty and by law, and manage their own central and regional campus. By Costa Rican law, two different public universities may not offer the same degree program.
There are also several private universities:
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
consists of three main levels. It is a duty of every citizen and an obligation to receive education, as such it is free and obligatory by law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
.
Education in the Costa Rican Constitution
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is 94.9% (CIA World Fact Book, November 2011), one of the highest in Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, and elementary as well as high schools are found throughout the country in virtually every community. That literacy rate is based on "The percentage of people aged 15+ who can, with understanding, both read and write a short, simple statement related to their everyday life (UN Common Database (UNESCO))."
According to art. 78 of the Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
:
"Primary education and general basic education are compulsory. Though the system is said to be free, many cannot afford the required uniforms and rural schools have no books for students. The length of time daily spent in school is 3.5 hours since the school class schedule is divided into two sessions in order to accommodate the students. Those levels and the diversified education level are, in the public system, free and supported by the Nation.
Public expenditure in State education, including higher education, shall not be less than sixteen percent (16%) per annum of the gross domestic product, pursuant to law, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 84 and 85 of this Constitution.
The State shall facilitate the pursuit of higher studies by persons who lack monetary resources. The Ministry of Public Education, through the organization established by law, shall be in charge of awarding scholarships and assistance."
University
There are five public universities in Costa Rica:- Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica (ITCR)
- Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR)
- Universidad Nacional de Costa RicaNational University of Costa RicaNational University of Costa Rica in Heredia is one of five public universities in the country. Over 12,000 students study at its main campus. In addition to undergraduate programs, it offers 16 Masters of Art degrees and is strong in ecology and education related coursework.- External links :*...
(UNA) - Universidad Nacional Estatal a Distancia (UNED)
- Universidad Técnica Nacional de Costa Rica (UTN)
Public universities offer degree programs according to their specialty and by law, and manage their own central and regional campus. By Costa Rican law, two different public universities may not offer the same degree program.
There are also several private universities:
- Instituto Centroamericano de Administracion de Empresas (INCAE)
- Universidad Adventista de Centroamérica (UNADECA)
- United Nations University for Peace
- Universidad de Ciencias MedicasUniversidad de Ciencias MedicasUniversidad de Ciencias Medicas is a medical school located at San José, Costa Rica. The school is known for teaching medicine and is recognized in the field nationally. UCIMED was originally founded in 1976 by surgeon and investigator Dr. Andres Vesalio Guzman Calleja by the name of Escuela...
(UCIMED) - Universidad de EARTH
- Universidad de Iberoamerica (UNIBE)
- Universidad Autónoma de Centroamérica (UACA)
- Universidad Católica de Costa Rica
- Universidad Latina de Costa Rica
- Universidad Latinoamericana de Ciencia y Tecnología (ULACIT)
- Universidad Santa Paula
- Universidad Veritas