EDUCATION
Since the government's monopoly on education broke down in the 1970s, there has been a profusion of high-quality institutes of higher learning ensuring that increasing amounts of Costa Ricans get a world-class education.
The university started in 1936 as School of Commerce Castro Carazo. At the end of the 19th century, the Minister of Education, Mauro Fernandez, carried out a reform to democratize education, as we only had at that time a few schools and a pontifical university attended by the elite. That reform focused on improving elementary schools, while also building four high schools, closing the pontifical university, and organizing a polytechnic higher education institution. However, the dream of building a polytechnic did not take place, so in 1936 Miguel Angel Castro Carazo created this school to provide more, higher education opportunities. He also created a network for distance education in collaboration with the post office system in Costa Rica, local governments, and the church. In 1996, the School of Commerce Castro Carazo was transformed into a private university. We are proud of and faithful to our roots, and are growing wings to fly into an innovative future and meet the demands of society with more agility.
There is a soft revolution going on in the world called the internationalization of higher education. While there have been certain initiatives, like Education City in Dubai, they have grouped overseas universities together. Out of 2,600 American universities, my research shows only 75 have one or more overseas campuses that offer degrees. These are institutions that understand the importance and power of education across frontiers. Education may be the best chance we have at liberty, peace, justice, and economic development on a grand scale. The hope does not lie in armies or even diplomats; it lies in teachers, schools, and education. Promerica Group has always had an educational vision. If an institution is able to educate for creativity, innovation, and problem solving, rather than drill-and-kill and memorization, then it is helping to nurture the kinds of minds that can deal with the issues that the future will call for.
Un the QS University Rankings published in mid-2017, we made a tremendous leap and moved up approximately 60 positions in the global rankings. This is due to many factors. One is that Universidad de Costa Rica does a great deal of international networking in order to be present at important scientific and academic endeavors. The university has become extremely competent at research and works with many universities in the world at the same level. Second, we have made many investments to improve and expand our infrastructure. This will be dedicated not only to conducting more classes, but also improving our laboratories and equipment to be on par with widely acknowledged universities around the world. These are the key factors that have translated into our excellent reputation. We also have a strong commitment to entrepreneurship. We have an agency called the University Agency for the Management of Entrepreneurship (AUGE) that is making a concerted effort to impart both hard and soft skills to our students and faculty members.
In the 1970s, the only university in Costa Rica was the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), which was only able to receive 800 new students a year, despite much higher demand. Each year many young people could not get into college, a problem that caused family issues and an educational crisis. During this time, I was a teacher at UCR, where I had worked for 30 years. We were trying to convince the UCR to increase its number of admissions. Unfortunately, it was not possible. It got so bad that a group of parents called us and asked if it was possible to start a private university in Costa Rica. Our answer was yes, but how would we overcome the legal, social, political, and financial barriers? It took some time as we only had 18 people. When the government approved the foundations law, we knew this was our chance to create the university, and thus we founded the Universidad Autónoma de Centroamérica. It was not easy, but we did it.
ULatina was created 25 years ago. It was created by a family with a vision of being present not only in the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM), but in provincial and rural zones. Its founders, the Salas family, set it up as a university that covered all areas of knowledge. It began operations with five educational faculties, but now has six, plus a post-graduate international center. We have seven regional facilities in Guanacaste, Santa Cruz, Cañas, and Liberia. In the Caribbean area, we have facilities in Guápiles and in Perez Zeledon. We also have other satellite locations in Ciudad Neily and Grecia. Santa Cruz, Guápiles, and Perez Zeledon are the largest rural operations. In GAM, we have campuses at Heredia and San Pedro, and a post-grade international center in Torre Mercedes Building in Paseo Colón. We plan to open a facility at San Carlos area in the medium term, since it is an emerging area and has a great need for quality educational services in certain specific knowledge areas.
EDUCATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yamileth Astorga, President, Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA)
TBY talks to Yamileth Astorga, President of the Costa Rican Institute of Aqueducts and Sewers (AyA), on the challenges of providing high-quality potable water and working to prevent a water deficit.
read articleInterview
Luis Carlos Delgado Murillo, President, National Supervisory Council for the Financial System (CONASSIF)
TBY talks to Luis Carlos Delgado Murillo, President of the National Supervisory Council for the Financial System (CONASSIF), on the importance of collaboration between the private and public sectors and facilitating new business.
read articleInterview
Minor Rodríguez, General Manager, Coopesa
TBY talks to Minor Rodríguez, General Manager of Coopesa, on being the only self-managing cooperative in the world dedicated to heavy aircraft, the importance of communication, and maintaining a flat and democratic governance structure.
read articleReview
Reaching the Sky
The construction sector in Costa Rica has recovered significantly from a slump in 2016. However, the country has much to accomplish, especially in terms of ensuring new residential projects are inclusive for all income levels and fixing the infrastructure problem.
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Dr. Fernando Llorca Castro, Executive President, Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social
TBY talks to Dr. Fernando Llorca Castro, Executive President of Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social, on the importance of institutional longevity, joining the OECD, and bringing standardized services to every part of the country.
read articleFocus: Education Training
Get the Ball Rolling
One of the main factors that attracts investors to Costa Rica has been its skilled human capital. For this purpose, the government and academia are collaborating to improve programs and better align them to the requirements of several industries.
read articleReview: Education
Class Is In Session
High levels of public investment have made Costa Rica's education system one of the strongest in Latin America, and government leaders are working to improve teacher quality and ensure that the poorest Costa Ricans have access to quality secondary and tertiary schools.
read articleInterview
Marco Robert, General Manager, IMC Interamericana Medios de Comunicación
TBY talks to Marco Robert, General Manager of IMC Interamericana Medios de Comunicación, on the importance of articulating a clear philosophy, the industry's biggest weaknesses, and the ideal advertising setup.
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