How is school in Costa Rica?
The school year in Costa Rica begins, like in neighboring countries, in February and ends in November or December. The school year is divided into three trimesters. After every trimester there are certificates, i.e. three times a year. There are two to three weeks of vacation in July. At the end of the school year, students still have to take an exam. After that, all students look forward to eight weeks of vacation.
100 points!
In Costa Rica, a country located in Central America according to itypetravel, there are grades according to points achieved from 0 to 100. You have passed when you reach 65 points. From the 10th grade you need 70 points to pass. Class work often consists of tests with given answers in which you have to tick the correct solution.
School uniform and school day
All children wear a school uniform. In the higher classes, these are mostly dark blue trousers and skirts as well as light blue tops (blouse, shirt or shirt). The school day starts early, at 7 or 7.30 a.m. If you want to go to school, you have to be there on time – otherwise the gates may already be closed! In addition, a security guard checks whether all students are properly dressed – the shirt, for example, has to be in the pants!
The children are at school until 3 p.m. or sometimes until 5 p.m. In between there is a free lunch for all students. A school lesson lasts 40 minutes, usually in double lessons. The lessons are in Spanish. The first foreign language is English.
The school career
96 percent of the children in Costa Rica go to school. All children who are 6 years and 6 months old at the end of February go to the first grade. The primary school (Primaria) lasts six years, the children are between 7 and 12 years old. After all, 78 percent attend secondary school. These are high values for Central America.
Schooling has been compulsory since 1973 for the first nine school years, i.e. for primary school and the first cycle of secondary school (Secundaria or Colegio). The Secundaria can be finished with an intermediate degree after the 9th grade. All attend this school together as a class.
You can then either attend the technical branch or the academic branch. After two or three more years you take the Abitur, the Bachillerato.
Are there any illiterate people?
3 percent of Costa Rica’s residents are illiterate, so they cannot read or write. Among the young people (15 to 24 years old) the proportion is only 1 percent.
How are the children in Costa Rica?
Poverty is also a problem in a comparatively affluent country. 22 percent of the population is considered poor, after all, 2 percent lives in extreme poverty.
4 percent of the children in Costa Rica work. That is too much, but little in comparison with Guatemala (26 percent), Honduras (15 percent) or Nicaragua (15 percent).
Christmas in Costa Rica
Most of the people in Costa Rica are Christians, mostly Catholics. This is how they celebrate Christmas in Costa Rica. Nativity scenes are set up, as are Christmas trees. These are either artificial trees or cypresses. They are adorned with lights. The houses are also decorated for Christmas, usually at the end of November. The posadas begin in mid-December. Children in particular move from house to house, sing Christmas carols and remember Mary and Joseph’s search for a hostel.
On 24 December there is a gala dinner with the whole family. These typically include carne asada (grilled meat) and tamales. Apples and grapes are also typical. The adults drinkRompope (eggnog). Many families then attend mass, Misa del Gallo, at midnight. Either there are Christmas presents or the next morning. Fireworks at midnight are also common.
The Zapote festival (Fiestas de Zapote) begins on December 25th in Zapote, near the capital San José. It will last until January 5th. There are rides and food stalls, as well as bullfights. However, in these Costa Rican bullfights, the bull is not killed. Someone is riding the bull and it makes them angry. The other 200 or so “bullfighters” in the arena run away as quickly as possible. The Tope traditionally takes place on December 26thheld, a parade of horses, and then carnival is celebrated in San José.
By the way, it’s especially hot in Costa Rica at Christmas! At 6 p.m. the sun goes down and it’s dark. It’s not hectic at Christmas either. The Costa Ricans keep their cosiness at this time too!
