Completing upper secondary school and pathways beyond: rethinking diversified education in Costa Rica

This chapter analyses key features of Costa Rican upper secondary education and proposes measures to ensure that all young Costa Ricans acquire the skills they need at this level of education for work of future learning. Costa Rica can build on its many strengths including a reformed curriculum and a growing and well-funded vocational system - to make upper secondary education more inclusive. A more systematic approach is needed to tackle disadvantage, and particularly to improve teaching in the schools with the highest levels of disengagement and drop-out. Further support is needed for teachers to implement the new curriculum, and reform the Bachillerato examination to give a fairer chance to students to complete secondary education. Vocational education and training should be strengthened and expanded, through the creation of specialised technical schools and the development of short post-secondary vocational programmes.