Education and Development in Costa Rica: Historical Commitment and Modern Challenges

Historically, Costa Rica has made education a central pillar of its development strategy. Since 1869, the country has mandated compulsory and state-funded education. This foundational commitment was further reinforced in 1949 when the Founding Board of the Second Republic outlawed the army, reallocating military funds to education and health sectors. As a result, Costa Rica boasts a literacy rate of over 97% among adults, growing annually at a rate of 1.85%. Notoriously acknowledged in his Nobel Lecture, ex-president Oscar Arias described Costa Ricans not only as “an unarmed people, whose children have never seen a fighter or a tank or a warship,” but “a country of teachers” where “children go with books under their arms, not rifles on their shoulders.”

Persistent Issues in Costa Rican Education

Costa Rica’s education system, although historically strong, grapples with various persistent issues. High dropout rates, inadequate teacher training, and grade repetition are ongoing problems. The country’s educational system also lacks the innovation seen in neighboring countries. High poverty levels, now exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlight core issues that effective public policy has yet to address sufficiently. Costa Rica’s developing economy relies heavily on the efficient education of its population to boost secondary and tertiary sectors and increase GDP.

Policy Response to COVID-19: "Aprendo en Casa"

In response to the pandemic, Costa Rica's Ministry of Public Education (MEP) launched the “Aprendo en Casa” (Learning at Home) program. Implemented just 11 days after the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the country, this emergency strategy aimed to ensure continuity in education through remote learning. The program was developed in conjunction with public and private partnerships to facilitate teaching and learning via digital platforms, television, and radio.

The "Aprendo en Casa" program highlights the intersection of education and health policies. By keeping students at home, the program contributed to reducing COVID-19 transmission, aligning educational strategies with public health objectives. The rapid development and implementation of "Aprendo en Casa" deviated from the typical policy cycle due to the urgency of the pandemic. Traditional stages of policy-making, such as agenda setting, formulation, and legitimation, were expedited. The global consensus on the need to control the pandemic minimized disagreement and accelerated the policy's rollout.

Challenges and Innovations in Remote Learning

The COVID-19 pandemic accentuated educational inequalities, particularly in rural areas with limited internet access. According to the Ministry of Education, 34% of students lack secure internet connections, hindering their ability to participate in remote learning. To address this, the "Aprendo en Casa" program expanded to include television and radio broadcasts, covering subjects such as Spanish, mathematics, social studies, science, and English. Content was also provided in four indigenous regional languages. This approach not only addressed immediate educational needs but also provided a model for long-term educational strategies in remote areas.

Policy-Making and Evaluation

Costa Rica’s MEP, while autonomous in setting educational policies, operates in alignment with central government directives. The COVID-19 crisis necessitated rapid policy measures, leading to the swift introduction of the "Aprendo en Casa" program. Unlike typical policy-making processes, which involve extensive stages of development and consensus-building, the urgency of the pandemic demanded immediate action. This accelerated timeline bypassed traditional stages, focusing instead on immediate implementation and effectiveness.

Despite the unique circumstances, policy evaluation remains crucial. Costa Rica’s policies are assessed based on international indexes and expert evaluations, ensuring their effectiveness and alignment with broader political agendas. The country’s strong performance in public policy rankings demonstrates its ability to adapt and respond to crises effectively.

Health Implications and Policy Synergy

The “Aprendo en Casa” program is directly linked to the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. The pandemic highlighted inequalities in access to education, especially in rural areas with limited technological infrastructure. In response, the program’s expansion to television and radio helped bridge the gap, providing educational content to students without internet access. This effort also addressed public health objectives by minimizing face-to-face interactions, thereby reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Costa Rica’s healthcare system, known as the CCSS (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social), played a significant role in supporting educational policies during the pandemic. Expenditure on education is crucial to the Costa Rican government. Of all the OECD countries and, member economies, it has the highest level of public expenditure on education as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), at 6.3%. The OECD average is 4.8%.

Broader Implications and Future Directions

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for comprehensive social policies that address educational, health, and economic inequalities. Costa Rica’s effective response, characterized by rapid policy adaptation and implementation, sets an example for other developing countries facing similar challenges. The pandemic provided a window of opportunity to address longstanding institutional issues and innovate in education.

The “Aprendo en Casa” program’s success suggests potential long-term benefits. Educational content delivered via television and radio could continue to support remote and underserved populations post-pandemic, offering a sustainable solution to educational access challenges. The program's initial implementation due to connectivity issues might be maintained to promote national educational broadcasts, reaching remote populations with quality information and curriculum.

Costa Rica's educational journey, marked by a historical commitment and innovative responses to contemporary challenges, offers valuable lessons for developing economies. The rapid implementation of the "Aprendo en Casa" program during the COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the importance of adaptable and inclusive policy-making. By leveraging crises to innovate and improve access to education, Costa Rica continues to strive towards sustained development, higher living standards, and reduced inequalities.

The country's ability to rapidly adapt to the pandemic through effective educational policies, combined with a strong healthcare system, highlights the synergy between education and health in promoting overall development. Costa Rica’s experience underscores the importance of continuous innovation and comprehensive policy approaches in addressing the complex challenges of the modern world.

Sources 

“Abolition of the Army in Costa Rica.” UNESCO, https://en.unesco.org/memoryoftheworld/registry/209.

Cobo, C., Hawkins, R., & Rovener, H., 2020, March 31. How countries across Latin America use technology during COVID-19  driven school closures. World Bank Blogs. https://blogs.world bank.org/education/how-countries-across-latin-america-use-technology-during-covid19- driven-school-closures.

Debre, Maria J., and Hylke Dijkstra. “COVID-19 and Policy Responses byInternational Organizations: Crisis of LiberalInternational Order or Window of Opportunity?” Global Policy, vol. 12, no. 4, 2021, p. 12, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1758-5899.12975.

Fischer, Frank, and Gerald J. Miller. Handbook of Public Policy Analysis. vol. 125, Taylor & Francis Group, 2006, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kcl/detail.action?docID=283245.

Instituto Nacional de Censo y Estadística. “Encuesta nacional de hogares Julio 2020.” Instituto Nacional de Censo y Estadística, https://www.inec.cr/sites/default/files/documetos-biblioteca-virtual /renaho2020.pdf. 

Knoema. “Costa Rica Adult literacy rate, 1960-2021 - knoema.com.” Knoema, https://knoema.com/atlas/Costa-Rica/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate.

Lehoucq, Fabrice. “Political Competition, Policy Making, and the Quality of Public Policies in Costa Rica.” Commission on Growth and Development, The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank On behalf of the Commission on Growth and Development, 2008, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/28007/577070NWP0Box353766B01PUBLIC10gcwp007web.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 10 April 2022.

Mairena, Jose. “CCSS.” CCSS | Noticias, 23 April 2021, https://www.ccss.sa.cr/noticias/salud?aumentos-de-hospitalizacion-covid19-obliga-a-suspender-residencias-medicas-por-ocho-semanas.

Montenegro, Ana Marcela. “Costa Rica’s educational scenario in times of COVID-19 pandemic.” Educational Media International, vol. 58, no. 2, 2021, p. 8, https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2021.1930483.

Nguyen, Tue A., et al. “COVID-19: Country case studies.” Mapping COVID: PSIRU working papers for PSI August 2020 [London], August 2020, p. 38. PSIRU working papers for PSI.

OECD. “Costa Rica.” OECD, 2021, https://www.oecd.org/gov/gov-at-a-glance-2021-costa-rica.pdf.

OECD. “Reviews of National Policies for Education Education in Costa Rica.” OECD, OECD Publishing, 2017, https://www.comex.go.cr/media/5227/reviews-of-national-policies-for-edu-cr.pdf.

Stein, E., et al. The Politics of Policies: Economic and Social Progress in Latin America. Washington, D.C. and Cambridge, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University and Inter-American Development Bank., 2005.

Stein, Ernesto, et al. Political Institutions, Policymaking Processes, and Policy Outcomes: A Comparison of Latin American Cases. Inter-AmericanDevelopmentBank, 2008.

United Nations. “THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development.” Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations, 2018, https://sdgs.un.org/goals.