Costa Rica School Children NEED Your Help!
The new Costa Rica school year starts February 10th, 2011.
Yet action is needed year round, making the information below very important!
In Costa Rica a private school literally seems to be tucked into every small neighborhood. Costa Rica residents with at least enough money routinely enroll their children in these private schools - not for vanity, but because the public schools lack the resources to provide an acceptable education.
Basic private school tuition might be $250.00/month (USD). Higher-end schools can be upwards of $1,000/month. Additionally private school parents must pay for books, school supplies, uniforms, and many other out-of-pocket costs.
Although these tuition's and costs may seem small to foreign readers paying much more for a private education; in Costa Rica these fees can be considered high when compared to income. In fact, it is not unheard of that extended family from different households collectively contribute to give that one child an opportunity for a better life by attending a private school.
By contrast, poor Costa Rican school children not fortunate enough to be born into a family with money are often left behind. The Costa Rica Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación Pública de Costa Rica) does not have the money to provide many basics to its students due to a lack of allocated funding by the government. Shortfalls include, but not limited to;
To make matters worse, basics such as notebooks cost more in Costa Rica than they do in the United States and elsewhere. This set of conditions literally results in the 'perfect storm' for children needing a basic education.
Although Costa Rica is a country of natural beauty, it is still a developing nation when it comes to most of the native population. Meaning any school costs are literally impossible for many families to pay.
It takes so little to provide so very much to the children of Costa Rica when you come to relax and explore in their country.
When coming to Costa Rica, please consider packing an extra suitcase of basic school supplies (pencils, pens, rulers, notebooks, markers, erasers, etc., etc., etc.).
Monetary donations are also needed for required school uniforms and other specific items!
Any questions? Feel free to contact me directly. I will do my best to answer all questions and if needed, connect those that want to donate to those in need.
Thank You.
In Costa Rica a private school literally seems to be tucked into every small neighborhood. Costa Rica residents with at least enough money routinely enroll their children in these private schools - not for vanity, but because the public schools lack the resources to provide an acceptable education.
Basic private school tuition might be $250.00/month (USD). Higher-end schools can be upwards of $1,000/month. Additionally private school parents must pay for books, school supplies, uniforms, and many other out-of-pocket costs.
Although these tuition's and costs may seem small to foreign readers paying much more for a private education; in Costa Rica these fees can be considered high when compared to income. In fact, it is not unheard of that extended family from different households collectively contribute to give that one child an opportunity for a better life by attending a private school.
By contrast, poor Costa Rican school children not fortunate enough to be born into a family with money are often left behind. The Costa Rica Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación Pública de Costa Rica) does not have the money to provide many basics to its students due to a lack of allocated funding by the government. Shortfalls include, but not limited to;
- Inadequate facilities for a proper learning environment,
- Deficient numbers of important support personnel such as counselors and social workers,
- Teacher salaries that don't meet a living wage,
- Lack of important learning tools such as computers, and
- Missing basics such as books and supplies.
To make matters worse, basics such as notebooks cost more in Costa Rica than they do in the United States and elsewhere. This set of conditions literally results in the 'perfect storm' for children needing a basic education.
Although Costa Rica is a country of natural beauty, it is still a developing nation when it comes to most of the native population. Meaning any school costs are literally impossible for many families to pay.
What YOU Can Do
Tourists, visitors, and foreign residents coming through Costa Rica's international airports and cruise ship ports have a unique opportunity to really make a difference.It takes so little to provide so very much to the children of Costa Rica when you come to relax and explore in their country.
Monetary donations are also needed for required school uniforms and other specific items!
Any questions? Feel free to contact me directly. I will do my best to answer all questions and if needed, connect those that want to donate to those in need.
Thank You.
Posted by Bill Clanton at 1/25/2011 10:25 AM 
Categories: Government of Costa Rica, Schools in Costa Rica, News from Costa Rica, Education in Costa Rica, Culture in Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, costa rica, vacation, Pictures of Costa Rica, Travel to Costa Rica, Communities in Costa Rica, Money in Costa Rica, Kids in Costa Rica, Bringing Items into Costa Rica
Tags: costa rica schools esquela students children supplies books donate public poor need help costa rica schools esquela supplies donate books students children help poor
Categories: Government of Costa Rica, Schools in Costa Rica, News from Costa Rica, Education in Costa Rica, Culture in Costa Rica, Life in Costa Rica, costa rica, vacation, Pictures of Costa Rica, Travel to Costa Rica, Communities in Costa Rica, Money in Costa Rica, Kids in Costa Rica, Bringing Items into Costa Rica
Tags: costa rica schools esquela students children supplies books donate public poor need help costa rica schools esquela supplies donate books students children help poor
Good work! I don't know why it was hard to find you, but keep up the good work. I have shared you on twitter and face book.
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I'm currently living in Guanacaste, and with so many tourists coming in, we may be able to help. Is there a central school admin office for us to send supply donations?
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Elaine,
The Costa Rica Ministerio de Educación Pública (MEP) has no ability to accept donations based on my own research and information provided by employees of MEP.
My best advice for those bringing down supplies is to take them to the nearest public school or church for immediate distribution.
If donations are made directly, nothing will go to waste or end-up in some government warehouse space endlessly waiting for a bureaucratic decision on its best use (if ever).
Any further questions or ideas are welcome.
-Bill
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published Tuesday, January 25th, 2011
Poor families in Costa Rica are facing the choice of eating or preparing their children for school.
The economics ministry estimated last week that the cost of preparing for school, including uniforms and books, ranges from ₡41,000 to ₡124,000 colons. At the current rate of exchange, that is from $82.00 to $248.00.Most schools require the student to show up on the first day with all the required books and materials. Schools provide parents a list, and families can be seen trying to obtain all the required materials before school opens. Public schools begin this year Feb. 10.
The ministry correctly noted that there are some government programs to help poorer families pay for schooling. The Avencemos program instituted by then-president Óscar Arias Sánchez mainly helps secondary school students. The goal of the program was to prevent dropouts for economic reasons.
Under that program parents and students agree via a contract with the Instituto Mixta de Ayuda Social to attend classes for the full term.
Help for other parents comes from the Fondo Nacional de Becas, which is directed at primary students of families in vulnerable financial situations. The fund makes its first payment at the end of January each year and makes periodic payments through the school year.
Nevertheless, finding families who fail to send their children to school for financial reasons is not unusual. The Ministerio de Economía, Industría y Comercio estimated, based on 2010 household census data, that there were 274,616 homes considered to be poor.
Families where at least one of the parents works can take advantage of another program, the salario escolar. Wage earners can designate up to 8.33 percent of a salary that can be held in trust by a bank or company organization. The big benefit is that the worker pays no taxes on this money nor are social charges assessed. Employers may choose to add to the money.
These funds are supposed to be returned to the worker during January in time to be used for purchasing school supplies and paying tuition. For lower income earners the main benefit is the obligation to save every payday. The tax benefit would be useless if the worker does not earn enough to file a return. The tax threshold is about $1,000 a month.
The lowest costs, of course, are for pre-school students. The ministry estimated that parents would pay about ₡30,171 colons for a uniform and about ₡11,000 colons for tuition. That adds up to about ₡41,170 colons or $82.00.
The ministry noted that for higher grades the tuition is slightly higher as is the cost of the obligatory uniforms. The study was based on a survey of 17 stores in Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia and San José. The surveyors used the official list of supplies published by the Ministerio de Educación Pública on their Web site. In all cases, the average cost came in above ₡100,000 colons or about $200.00. This estimate did not include a backpack or clothing for physical education.
Many students also must pay for transportation to get to school. A public bus is just 100 to 200 colons a day, perhaps 40 U.S. cents. But many parents pay for private transportation, which can range to ₡50,000 colons a month or about $100.00/month.
So a family with four children in school faces a major expenditure.
source: A.M. Costa Rica
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The first monetary donation for buying Costa Rica school supplies has been received.
Mr. Luis Garcia of Ontario, Canada generously sent $500.00 via PayPal as his contribution for this needy cause. The items will be purchased directly by La Carpio school personnel and delivered without any 'administrative' or 'operational' fees.
Thank You Don Luis!!!
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Donated:
Many well served Costa Rican school children in need of a good education ... 1 donor!
CHALLENGE : Costa Rica Blogger and Luis Garcia challenge YOU to help as well. A little goes a long way ... throw some extra school stuff in a suitcase and drop it off at a local school or church during your Costa Rica travels!
Larger personal and corporate donations are also very welcome, contact me for details.
¡Pura Educación!
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Sounds to me the high end school is ripping the people off!
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published Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
The Municipalidad de San José [capital City of San José] has handed out 250 backpacks to children in low-income areas in the central canton. School starts Thursday.
The backpacks conform to requirements of the Ministerio de Educación Pública. The investment was ₡5 million colons or about ₡20.000 colons per child, about $40 per backpack, said the municipality in a release.
The schools involved are Mauro Fernández Acuña, La Peregrina, Finca la Caja*, República Dominicana, Miguel de Cervantes, Juan Rafael Mora Porras, Rafael Francisco Osejo, República de Haití and República de México.
This is the third year that the municipality has done this.
Even though education is supposed to be free, families sometimes struggle to come up with the required school supplies and uniforms for their children. These include backpacks.
The Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio estimated from a survey that a family would spend from about ₡40.000 to ₡100.000 colons on each child depending on the grade level. That is from $80 to $200. Informally parents report that they are spending much more this year.
*Finca la Caja is the school in La Carpio de La Uruca where CostaRicaBlogger.com uniforms and school supplies generously donated by Luis Garcia of Ontario, Canada will be delivered Friday, February 11th, 2011.
source: A.M. Costa Rica
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Keep up the good work! Thank you for all you are doing to help school children.
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I'm not really sure what the exact cost for a school year is for each student but I'd like to suggest the creation of a national lottery for the express purpose of providing all that is necessary to those whose families do not meet the financial income threshold for basic school requirements. Many cities in the USA have many different types of lotteries.
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