Education

Costa Rican Squirrel Species-Sciurus variegatoides Costa Rican Squirrels: They Look Weird

North Americans come from squirrel country -- Canada and USA both have all kinds of squirrels, living in trees and parks everywhere. But Costa Rican squirrels are different. Variegated Squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides) are tree squirrels and are found in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Southern Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. There are some 15 different species of this squirrel, with a...

Costa Rica Coronavirus, Restrictions, Updated Information Costa Rica Covid-19 : Schools, Borders,Tourists Visa and Drivers License Extensions

With a total of 5,836 confirmed cases of Covid-19 through July 8th and 25 deaths related to this virus, the number of cases continues to spike. The Costa Rican Government made new announcements in regards to the restart of the school year, reopening of borders and Tourists Visa Extensions. The Ministry of Education informed that schools won’t reopen for class until at least September, which mea...

Costa Rica Coursera Coursera and Costa Rica Will Train 50,000 People to Confront the COVID-19 Crisis

Coursera, an online education platform, will team up with Costa Rica over the next 6 months to train 50,000 people in the strategic and technical skills required for Industry 4.0. This initiative is one part of a reskilling and retooling strategy that Costa Rica currently has underway, which defines three main areas for talent development: career management, soft skills, and technical skills. T...

Costa Rica Education Program Copenhaguen Institute of Interaction Design Chooses Costa Rica as First Center Outside Europe

The Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID), recognized by Business Insider as one of the top leading design and innovation schools globally, has chosen Costa Rica for its first permanent expansion outside Europe. CIID will offer courses and programs, such as its renowned Interaction Design Program (IDP), which will be launched in February 2020. Its presence strengthens Costa Rica’s s...

Batman of Costa Rica, Bats, Research The Real Batman of Costa Rica

University of Costa Rica’s Bernal Rodriguez Herrera, has won the prestigious Aldo Leopold award for his work in the field of conservation of bats and their habitats – the first time a Costa Rican has won this honor in any scientific pursuit. Rodriguez is the Founder and Co-ordinator of the Latin American Bat Conservation Network, and has done much of his vital research at the Biological Reserve Tr...

Costa Rican History, Costa Rica, United States Costa Rican Historian Yamil Jimenez Tabash Gives an Inspiring Lecture in Perez Zeledon

Internationally renowned historian and reverend Yamil Jimenez Tabash gave a lecture to a standing-room-only audience in Perez Zeledon last Friday on an un-sanitized version of the history of Costa Rica – the true history – according to this Perez Zeledonian historian and scholar. Jimenez did not pull any punches, detailing both the locally accepted version of Tico history, and the more probably ac...

Costa Rica University of Georgia Foundation University of Georgia Approves Sale of Costa Rica Campus to Nonprofit Organization

he University of Georgia Foundation has agreed to sell the university's Costa Rica residential and research campus in San Luis de Monteverde, Costa Rica, to the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), the oldest and largest nonprofit study-abroad and intercultural exchange organization in the U.S. The University of Georgia Foundation Board of Trustees approved the transaction at i...

Costa Rica Strike Education Strike of Educators in Costa Rica Declared Legal

The Labor Appeals Court of the Second Judicial Court of San José declared the strike movement of the education sector protesting the fiscal plan, which extended 89 days, as legal, considering that there was no proof that the movement “was not peaceful nor that it affected essential services”. Judges Adriana Chacón, Ana Ruth Fallas and Luis Eduardo Mesén, rejected the arguments presented by the...

Costa Rica Strike Education Ministry of Education in Costa Rica Fires 19 Workers That Left the Country During Strike

The Ministry of Education in Costa Rica fired 19 employees for going on trips during the strike. These employees were fired without employer responsibility, which means they are not entitled to receive severance since they incurred a serious offense. According to the Direction of Human Resources of the Ministry of Education, there are a total of 232 employees being investigated for this same...

Costa Rica Strike Education Costa Rica’s Minister of Education Orders Administrative Personnel Back to Work January 4

Around 20,000 people that work in the administration sector of the Ministry of Education received the order to return to work January 4 after the end of the year vacation, a month prior to their normal return date. The order caused the personnel to immediately complained through their respective labor unions. The Administration personnel was used to taking the same amount of vacation time as...

Costa Rica Strike Education After 3 Months of Striking Educators Return to Their Classes for Last 4 Days of School Year

After three months of strike, the labor unions of the education sector lifted the movement and will go back to work Monday, December 10, for the remaining 4 days of the 2018 school year. Even though the fiscal reform was already approved by congress on second debate and the Labor Court ruled for a second time the strike of educators as illegal only one of the labor unions, SEC, had already retu...

Costa Rica Strike Education Education Sector Labor Unions in Costa Rica Divided on Whether to Maintain Strike

The Constitutional Chamber gave green light for Congress to vote on the fiscal reform, the Labor Court ruled for a second time the strike of educators as illegal, but the biggest labor union of the education sector, the National Association of Educators (ANDE) decided to maintain the strike while members of the Costa Rican Educators Labor Union (SEC) chose to go back to work, and APSE the third la...

Costa Rica Strike Education For a Second Time, Costa Rican Court Declares Strike of Education Sector Illegal

The Labor Court of the Second Judiciary Circuit of San José, deemed the strike affecting the education sector in Costa Rica illegal; this is the second time the movement is declared illegal, in this occasion it was judge Victor Orozco Zárate who was in charge of the sentence. The strike of educators against the fiscal reform that began in September 10 and is going on 80 days, was first declared...

Costa Rica Athletics Track Costa Rica’s National University Has New Athletics Track Considered Best in the Region

The National University of Costa Rica (UNA) recently inaugurated an athletics track that is considered the best in Central America. The athletics track is made with tartan, an all-weather synthetic track surfacing, it is a category 2 track and field track that can be used for continental tournaments and has the characteristics to be certified by the International Athletics Federation. The tr...

Costa Rica Strike Illegal Costa Rican Government Will use All Legal Resources to Recover Losses Resulting From Labor Strike

The Costa Rican Government assures that they will use any and all legal actions to compensate and recover the losses and damages caused by public employees that participated in the labor strike in those institutions in which the movement was declared illegal. The labor strike that began back on September 10 is maintained today mostly by the education sector. “We respect judicial decisions, but ...

High Dimensional and Big Data Analytics Costa Rica CINDE and Georgia Tech will Host Big Data Analytics Training in Costa Rica

The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE) in collaboration with Georgia Tech will host a high dimensional and big data training that "will shape professional with basic knowledge in machine learning and programming to a more analytics-oriented profile" informed CINDE through a press release. The content includes functional data analysis methods, image data analysis, high-dimensional d...

Costa Rica Strikers Vacation Costa Rica’s Ministry of Education Confirms Over 550 Employees Supposedly on Strike Traveled Out of the Country

Edgar Mora, Minister of Education (MEP), affirmed that a total 556 employees of the Ministry of Public Education that were supposedly on strike protesting the fiscal plan, took advantage of the situation and traveled out of the country on vacation. According to Mora, all of these employees are identified, and MEP has confirmed they register migratory movements between September 9 and October 8 ...

Costa Rica LEarning Commons The Costa Rican Technological Institute is the first in the Region to have Learning Commons Library

Students at the Costa Rican Technological Institute (TEC) now have an interactive space for learning, the Learning Commons Library, unique in Costa Rica and Central America. A Learning Commons is defined as “an interactive space for learning that brings together investigation, games and collaborative work in order to promote the use of technology and digital resources available. It is designe...

Costa Rica Strike Costa Rica’s Ministry of Education Must Recover Over $150 Million in Salaries Paid During Strike

This Tuesday, Judge Francisco Quesada ruled that labor strike sustained for over a month by members of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), illegal, considering that the movement was not carried out in a peaceful manner. The labor unions will have three days to appeal once they have been legally notified and after the appeal is presented the labor court will have another five days to dictat...

Costa Rica Strike Labor Strike That Paralyzed Public Education for a Month in Costa Rica Deemed Illegal

The Labor strike that has paralyzed many public schools in Costa Rica for over four weeks was deemed illegal by the labor court. Judge Francisco Quesada ruled on the matter and declared the strike of employees of the Ministry of Education illegal under the argument that the movement was not peaceful. “When it comes to the actions of the labor unions, including those in contradiction of the m...

Costa Rica Bilingual Teachers from the US Arrive in Costa Rica to Take Part in the Project Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi)

Maeta Kaplan, Barbara Rodgers and Marybeth Ward are the first teachers from the United States to arrive in Costa Rica to take part on the project Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi); all three of them have experience in the teaching of English in the Latin American region and will begin classes this week at the central county of Puntarenas. The Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi) as a national strategy...

Costa Rica Strike Striking Employees of the Public Education Sector Will Maintain Their Protest

Even though the fiscal plan was approved in first debate by the Legislative Assembly and even though other labor unions such as those of the health sector chose to put an end to their strike, the labor unions of the education sector affirmed they will maintain their protest. “This is just the first battle; we have fought strongly. We have 22 deputies that said no to the project and 35 that vote...

Costa Rica Independence Torch Labor Protests Overshadow Arrival of Independence Day Torch to Costa Rica

At around 10:25 a.m. this morning the Independence Torch arrived in Costa Rica from Nicaragua through Peñas Blancas. The Independence Torch represents the liberty and independence of Costa Rica and the rest of the Central American countries. The tradition of the torch traveling through the different Central American countries began in 1964, the torch begins its journey in Guatemala and concl...

Costa Rica Strike Services Affected Public Education and Health Services the Most Affected so Far by General Strike in Costa Rica

In the first 7 hours of the general strike called by the labor unions in Costa Rica, the most affected services are public education and public hospitals, according to information provided by the Government during a press conference this Monday. President Carlos Alvarado along Ministers and representatives of other public institutions stated that at this point 25 public institutions are operati...

Costa Rica Education Costa Rica has the Highest Number of University Students in Latin American According to OECD

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) runs several reports every year that provide an authoritative source of information in the state of education in the 35 countries members of the OECD and a number of partner countries; one of those reports ranks the “most educated” countries. The OECD defined a country's adult education level as “the percentage of people between t...

Costa Rica English 800 People from 15 Poor Rural Communities in Costa Rica Will Improve Their English Language Skills

800 people between the ages of 18 and 35 will increase their English language skills to have better job opportunities. They live across 15 communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), such as Puntarenas, San Carlos, and San Ramón. Another 200 beneficiaries from the GAM, specifically from Santa Ana and La Unión will also be part of the program. All the beneficiaries are living in pov...

Costa Rica Rutgers U Talamanca Students From Rutgers University are in Costa Rica Working on the Project “Geoscience Research at the Cordillera Talamanca”

Students of Rutgers University of New Jersey, USA, are in Costa Rica working on the project “Geoscience Research at the Cordillera Talamanca” (GREAT), in conjunction with technical and geoscientists of the National Seismology Network (RSN) and the University of Costa Rica's National Laboratory of Structural Materials and Models (Lanamme) and using the research facilities of Costa Rican Electricity...

Costa Rica English Costa Rican Government Makes Teaching of English as a Second Language a Priority in Education

President Carlos Alvarado presented today the Alliance for Bilingualism (ABi) as a national strategy to significantly increase the coverage of the English teaching in Costa Rica. This alliance will work as the action frame that will link together the plans of several public institutions such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecomm...

Costa Rica Students US Scholarships Six Costa Rican Students from Public High Schools Obtain Scholarships to Study in U.S Colleges.

María Nazareth Mata Castillo, Valeria Saborío Barquero, Diego Hernández Montero, Maxwell Jornae Pita Nelson, Josué Ortega Ramírez and Antony Ramírez Montero, became the second generation of Costa Rican students in the public education system to earn scholarships to study in community colleges in the United States, this thanks to the progam “Scholarships for Specialized Technicians Dr. Ana Sittenfe...

University of Costa Rica Nicaraguan College Students Look to Continue Their Studies in the University of Costa Rica due to Crisis in Their Country

Nicaraguan college students are looking into the possibility of continuing their studies in the University of Costa Rica (UCR) to avoid having their careers interrupted as a consequence of the crisis in their country. So far ten students have been accepted by the UCR through the figure of student exchanges or student mobility, but another 45 requests have been received by the Office of Interna...

Nat Geo Photo Exhibit Costa RIca Enjoy the NatGeo Experience Photo Exhibit in Costa Rica Starting June 18

The Sophia Wanamaker Galleries from the Costa Rican –North American Cultural Center (CCCN) will offer as of this Monday, June 18 the National Geographic Photo Exhibit. “Adventure, biodiversity, landscapes, culture, urban and wildlife, were captured by the lenses of National Geographic photographers for the photo exhibit of NatGeo Experience 2018 that the CCCN brings for you”, states the Gallery...

University of Costa Rica University of Costa Rica Ranks in the Top 20 Universities in Latin America

The University of Costa Rica (UCR) once again claimed its spot among the 20 best universities in Latin America, according to the QS World University Rankings 2019. The QS World University ranking, evaluates universities across the world and lists the 1000 top universities using six different indicators: Academic Reputation (40%) Employer Reputation (10%) Faculty/Student Ratio (20%) Citat...

Luis Guillermo Solis Former President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis Moves to Miami to Work as Professor at FIU

Former President of Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis and his wife, Mercedes Peñas will be relocating to Florida in August 2018. Solis will be taking on a position as a professor at the Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC) of the Florida International University (FIU). Peñas will be working as an investigator in the area of territorial development and prevention of risk at l...

Incae in Costa Rica Among Top 30 Business Schools in the World

Incae business School in Costa Rica appeared once again in the ranking of best business schools in the world generated by Financial Times. This year it earned position 29 in a ranking that includes over more than 100 schools that focus in the career of business administration and executive formation and that met the initial criteria. Incae also took third place in Latin America, only behind...

Private School in Costa Rica In Search for a Private School in Costa Rica? Visit the School Fair this Saturday

This Saturday, May 19 at the National Stadium parents will have the possibility of having 20 private schools in one location offering information on their educational offer during the ‘Feria de Colegios” or School Fair. The event is hosted only on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include also stands for other companies all related to education and children such as Genius Lab; Tutor Doc...

University of Costa Rica SIUE Creates Partnership with University of Costa Rica

Press Release Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has reached an academic partnership agreement with the University of Costa Rica (UCR). The new five-year partnership with UCR, coupled with the current faculty-led travel study programs through Central American Mission Programs (CAMP), provide new opportunities for collaborative engagement in fields like pharmacy, dental medicine, nursing ...

Texas Tech University Costa Rica Texas Tech University Officially Inaugurated its Campus in Costa Rica

Texas Tech University officially inaugurated today its campus in Costa Rica, the first one outside the United States. TTU is one of the most prestigious universities in the state of Texas and has began its expansion internationally, the campus in Costa Rica is a key step in this direction. “We are very happy to inaugurate the first international campus of Texas Tech University. This proces...

Costa Rica US Education US Embassy to Help Strengthen English Programs in Costa Rican Public Schools

The U.S. Embassy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Public Education (MEP), committing to work together for four more years in order to strengthen the teaching of English language in public schools in Costa Rica. The memorandum of understanding includes support for English language development for students, professors and MEP staff with English specialists; development of...

Texas Tech Costa Rica Texas Tech University in Costa Rica Offers 50 Jobs for Students To Finance Their Career

Texas Tech University in Costa Rica (TTU-CR) is offering 50 part time jobs for students that need to work in order to pay for their studies. Students will receive a salary of up to $560 a month; the program hopes to offer opportunities to good students in all social-economic levels and in this way recruiting Costa Rican and Central American talent. Attending TTU-CR involves an investment o...

Kids Programs Costa RIca Kids 4-12 Years Old Can Register for Aerospace Engineering Course in Costa Rica

Engineering for Kids is a unique educational program in Costa Rica that works with international standards for the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (S.T.E.M), and this time they have developed a program dedicated to Costa Rican Engineer and Astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz, designed to inspire the future aerospace engineers. The classes are targeted to kids 4-6 years old (Juni...