No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveTeacher protest draws thousands in San José

Teacher protest draws thousands in San José

Throngs of teachers and students marched through downtown San José Tuesday morning in a show of opposition to a trimester school year.

The National Association of Educators and the High School Teachers Association rallied teachers throughout Costa Rica against the plan proposed by Education Minister Leonardo Garnier.

Garnier’s plan calls for three trimesters of school with breaks between each. The first trimester would be 14 weeks followed by two weeks of vacation time. The second trimester would be 13 weeks followed by another two weeks of vacation time. The final trimester would be 15 weeks followed by five weeks of vacation.

The current system provides students with fewer breaks and longer vacation periods. Students have a two-week break halfway through the second semester and a longer break of two and half months at the end of the school year.

In a justification of the proposal on his website, Garnier said the reorganization of the school year would save money and increase retention rate of underperforming students.

Many teachers and students who took part in the march see the plan differently.

Teacher Roy Araya of Escuela Los Guido said the new system will make it easier for poorly performing students to graduate, increasing overall graduation rates but hurting education levels.

“Students will suffer once they get to university,” he said. “The new system will give failing students easier opportunities to test into the next grade.”

Student Jean Pierre Moreno said he thinks the system will cost parents of students more. He does not want a shortened end-of-year break, he said.

Thousands of people participated in the march, which started at 9 a.m. at the Plaza de la Democracia in downtown San José and ended in the early afternoon at Casa Presidencial in the southeastern district of Zapote.

Trending Now

Unique Costa Rica Tours Beyond Ziplines You Should Try

I remember a time when there were no canopy zipline tours in Costa Rica. The first one didn’t open until 1997, in the cloud...

Climate Change Could Push Young Latin Americans into Poverty

Climate change will push six million Latin Americans and Caribbeans under the age of 25 into poverty by 2030, according to a report released...

Jardin La Torre, an Active Adult Community in Costa Rica

In a search for expat active adult/retirement communities in Costa Rica, the numbers seem to be lacking, especially, any which are similar to what...

Costa Rica Ex-President Rodríguez Trial Resumes in Reinsurance Scandal

The trial against former President Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Echeverría restarted today in the Tribunal Penal de Hacienda y de la Función Pública, marking the...

Costa Rica Unveils Plans for Maximum-Security Prison

Costa Rica will soon be home to a new high-security prison designed specifically to house our country’s most dangerous inmates. At a weekly press...

Turrialba Emerges as Costa Rica’s Birdwatching Hotspot

Costa Rica has become one of the world’s top destinations for birdwatchers, with 940 species identified, and the canton of Turrialba stands out for...
Avatar
spot_img
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