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Costa Rica boasts about having more teachers than police men, and this affirmation is a source of great pride, since Ticos feel that their high education level sets them apart from many less fortunate countries in the world. Many of Costa Rica's rulers have been educators as well, and have placed great importance in the expansion of primary and secondary education, even in the most remote areas of the country. Thanks to these and to ongoing reforms, Costa Rica has a 93% literacy level.
Primary education lasts six years, while high school education might be five or six years, the first being academic and the latter technical or professional. At the end of high school, the student will receive a title in "Letras" (similar to "Arts") or in "Ciencias" ("Science). The system which I've described applies to all public schools, but there are also private grammar schools and high schools, which utilize an American or European system. The Ministerio de Educacion or Ministry of Education is responsible for regulating education in all of Costa Rica.
There are several articles in the Constitution of Costa Rica that assure the integrity of this system. Jose Maria Castro, the country's first elected president, was also a teacher, and because of his reforms and that of following presidents, in 1869 Costa Rica became the first country in the world where education became free and obligatory; this fact is expressed by Article 78 of the Constitution. Article 79 guarantees the freedom of education, meaning that educational institutions may confer grammar and high school degrees. Article 80 decrees that the government should stimulate private education; in reality the only encouragement that these institutions receive is through the elimination of import taxes of school supplies. Article 82 demonstrates the socialist tendency in many educational reforms of Costa Rica, since it forces the government to supply food and clothing to poor students. Furthermore, students in public schools have to wear the official uniform, in order to lessen social and economic distinctions between students. All of these articles and several others pretend the conservation of an institution that is considered to be sacred in Costa Rica.
Apart from public schools, there are many private schools, where more well-to-do families usually send their children. There are several North American schools, like Marian Baker School, Country Day School, International Christian School and several others. There is also the German school- Humboldt- the French school- Franco Costarricense- and the Japanese School- Escuela Japonesa. The explosion of private Costa Rican and foreign schools has lessened over-crowding in the public schools and has provided an alternate educational system for those who can afford it.
President Jose Maria Figueres (1994-1998) declared the teaching of English and Computer Science as mandatory in all of the nation's public schools. This implied the training of 500 teachers and a huge expense from the part of the government. Currently and under President Miguel Angel Rodriguez, the fate of public schools and public institutions in general is unclear. The past governments have been steering Costa Rica towards a neo-liberal way of life and away from the social- democratic one that prevailed in the past. Only time will tell what will happen with state-supported institutions, including the education system that Costa Ricans are so proud of.
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