EDUCATION

In 1870, Costa Rica was the first in Latin America to designate primary education as public, compulsory and free by law. In keeping with the tradition to be among the first in general education levels, Costa Rica is now focusing on a new approach, an aggressive technology policy that has resulted in computer labs present in 50% of the elementary schools, plus in all of its high schools. Furthermore, it has added English as a Second Language to both elementary and high schools in approximately the same proportion.

Not content with this, it has managed to establish vocational training high schools, to give special techniques; also, the National Learning Institute (INA), which gives free, on-site training in technical know how; the CEFOF, which trains educators with emphasis in quality norms (ISO, QS, etc.). Then we have several universities, among which are 4 state and 46 private, along with the INCAE (which is a Harvard-sponsored business school at MBA level) and the Instituto Tecnológico, which offers applied instruction and internships that earned it the rating of 26 in Quality of IT Education Ranking.

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