No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsHealthSpike in Costa Rica's school dropout rates latest concern after flooding

Spike in Costa Rica’s school dropout rates latest concern after flooding

Officials are worried about how school closings this week across the province of Limón and other areas affected by flooding in Costa Rica might cause a spike in the dropout rate.

“We’re very worried about this area,” Education Minister Sonia Marta Mora told reporters during a site visit to Barra del Colorado, on Costa Rica’s northern Caribbean coast, on Wednesday.

Mora said a compound effect of school closings this week across the region immediately before the upcoming two-week summer vacation could keep some students from returning to classes. More than 51,000 students are out of the classroom because of flooding, and 431 school buildings have been damaged.

President Luis Guillermo Solís, who is touring the affected areas on Wednesday and Thursday, declared a national emergency during a press conference at Casa Presidencial on Tuesday.

Despite the suspension of classes, the minister said that more than 400 schools would continue to provide meals for students.

The minister asked school directors to check in with families to ensure they “don’t lose one boy or girl in the classroom.”

School attendance is already a challenge in many of the areas hard-hit by flooding last weekend. According to the most recent State of Education report, 64 percent of districts with the highest concentration of low levels of household education and other challenges that prevent high school attendance are located in the Caribbean slope and Brunca regions. In 2011, only 46.7 percent of Costa Rican young adults aged 17 to 21 graduated from high school.

Trending Now

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica’s Piangua Mollusk Threatened by Pineapple Farm Runoff

Costa Rica’s Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland, a 33,000-hectare haven of mangroves and rivers, is under siege from an unlikely source: pineapple farms. A study by...

Costa Rica and Panama Seek Gold Cup Glory Against North American Giants

With no Caribbean teams advancing, a Central American contingent made up of Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Guatemala heads into the quarterfinals of the...

Former Costa Rican Minister Arrested for Drug Trafficking, Faces U.S. Extradition

Costa Rica’s judicial police arrested Celso Gamboa, a former security minister and Supreme Court judge, on Monday, following a U.S. request for his extradition...

Fishing, Wildlife, and History in Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado

Costa Rica’s Barra del Colorado is a magical and charming town. It’s one of the country’s hidden gems, best known for its world-class sport...

Panama Regains Control of Bocas del Toro After Violent Protests

Panama’s government has regained control of Bocas del Toro province after months of violent anti-government protests sparked by pension reforms, officials announced. The unrest,...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica