How Pedagogy Tin Spur Progress Towards Inclusive Growth

by Andreas Schleicher
Director, Directorate for Education together with Skills

Republic of Costa Rica is recognised across Latin America equally a leader inwards education. The solid pose down was amidst the start inwards the part to enrol all children inwards main schoolhouse together with scrap adult illiteracy. Today, i inwards 2 immature adults has completed secondary education, upward from i inwards 3 amidst their parents’ generation. But, the demands placed on the skills of people convey evolved equally well. The overall context has acquire to a greater extent than challenging too: Economic increment has slowed, inequality is rise together with productivity is weak inwards a labour marketplace position that shows a growing split upward betwixt a well-paid, high-skilled sector together with a precarious informal economy. The OECD report, Education inwards Costa Rica, looks at how pedagogy tin hand notice aid Republic of Costa Rica plough these negative trends around.

The start stride is to construct strong foundations. Pre-primary pedagogy has acquire nearly universal inwards most OECD countries; simply inwards Costa Rica, alone 63% of children practise goodness from 2 years of preschool, together with real few children nether 3 convey access to whatsoever shape of early aid together with education. Strong, sustained back upward to promising initiatives, such equally the novel policy framework for early childhood together with the preschool curriculum, volition ensure that to a greater extent than children start schoolhouse amongst the socio-emotional together with cognitive skills that they remove to learn. More flexible community-based services tin hand notice accelerate the expansion of early pedagogy into rural areas.

The character of pedagogy tin hand notice never overstep the character of teachers. Republic of Costa Rica is working towards ensuring minimum standards inwards the teaching profession yesteryear requiring mortal universities to accredit initial teaching degrees. The challenge  now is to advance from recruiting those candidates amongst the greatest potential for effective teaching towards promoting continuous professional person evolution through regular feedback together with to a greater extent than opportunities for peer learning inside together with across schools.

If all students are to consummate at to the lowest degree secondary school, together with thence the content, construction together with certification of learning at this flat remove to reply to an increasingly various educatee population. Nearly i inwards 3 15-year-olds is non inwards school, together with amidst those who are, unopen to other i inwards 3 lacks gist competencies inwards science, reading together with mathematics. The programme Yo me Apunto, which allocates to a greater extent than resources to disadvantaged schools to foreclose students from dropping out, should move supported together with combined amongst an expansion of vocational courses together with choice forms of certification to aid to a greater extent than students brand a smoothen transition from schoolhouse to employment.

Costa Rica’s third sector also has an of import constituent to play  in fostering inclusive growth. Just i inwards 10 students from a disadvantaged background makes it to university, together with alone 12% of third programmes convey been accredited. It is fourth dimension for Republic of Costa Rica to comprehend comprehensive reform of the governance, funding together with quality-assurance systems of both mortal together with world universities to reply to changing social together with economical needs. This, inwards turn, requires much improve information on third functioning thence that students tin hand notice brand informed choices nearly their future, together with institutions tin hand notice move held accountable for coming together their ain together with their country’s objectives.

Republic of Costa Rica is rightly admired for making pedagogy the cornerstone of its development. It invests 7.6% of its gross domestic product inwards pedagogy – a larger portion than that of whatsoever OECD country. But those resources remove to move invested strategically. If it does so, Republic of Costa Rica volition move able to spur to a greater extent than inclusive increment together with construct on its remarkable achievements inwards human evolution together with well-being.

Links
Reviews of National Policies for Education: Education inwards Costa Rica
Brochure: Education inwards Costa Rica, Highlights 2017 (English) together with (Spanish)
Press release: Costa Rica should ensure that all children convey access to character pedagogy (English) together with (Spanish)
Slides: Avances y desafíos de la educación en Costa Rica: una perspectiva internacional (Spanish)

Photo credit: MEP (Ministerio de Educación Pública)