According to a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), despite the fact that Costa Rica invests more than any of the other 35 countries members of the OECD, which includes countries such as Finland and Germany, the investment is not being reflected in the students’ performance.

The findings of the report Education in Costa Rica were presented by Andreas Schleicher, OECD Director for Education and Skills to President Luis Guilllermo Solís, Minister of Public Education, Sonia Marta Mora, and the Minister for Foreign Trade, Alexander Mora, in San José on August 3rd. The Press Release provided by the OECD summarizes their findings:

“As Costa Rica’s economy has developed in recent decades, the education system that helped propel the country to upper middle-income status now needs reform to respond to rising expectations and changing demands for skills.

The stagnation of education outcomes in the last decade, together with widening inequality and slow growth however risks stalling the country’s further development.

The education sector now faces the challenge of providing quality education for all. The expansion of access to education in recent decades has been impressive. However, Costa Rica’s 15-year-olds performed on average two years below their peers in OECD countries in PISA 2015 and 33% of them lack core competencies in science, reading and mathematics.

The gap between different social across socioeconomic groups also remains large: only 7.5% of disadvantaged students access university compared to 54% of advantaged students. To improve education outcomes, the OECD report recommends:

• Giving higher priority in public spending and policy to early childhood education and care, considering the role it can play in the development of cognitive and non-cognitive skills, focusing on the most disadvantaged populations.
• Putting learning outcomes at the center point of policy and practice in basic education. A shared understanding of “good teaching” should guide teacher policy from recruitment to professional development to consolidate a high-quality profession.
• Making upper secondary education more inclusive to reflect its new role as the final stage of schooling and career gateway for all Costa Ricans. Providing additional resources to vulnerable schools through the Yo me apunto is a promising initiative to tackle drop out.
• Reforming quality assurance, funding and governance in tertiary education is crucial to ensure that the sector supports and meets the development goals of Costa Rica. The accreditation of programs in key fields will be an important first step to guarantee a minimum level of quality in private universities.

Costa Rica is admired worldwide for its strong commitment to education. At 7.6% of GDP, Costa Rica allocates a greater share of its national wealth to education than any other country. But those resources need to be invested strategically to ensure that this investment accelerates economic and social progress in the country.