Comments on: More than half of Costa Rica’s workforce hasn’t completed high school

By: Timothy Williams

Timothy Williams — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 23:28:00 +0000

Ken, good catch on the fact-check: you are correct, the source article states that 71% have not studied at the college/university level; not that 71% lack college degrees (I’m sure that number is quite higher, given that more than half lack a high school diploma). Correction coming shortly.

By: Ken Morris

Ken Morris — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 21:53:00 +0000

First, a possible factual correction. I don’t believe the article says that 71% of the workers lack college degrees; rather I believe it says that 71% lack college studies. Presumably, of the 44% of the employees with high school diplomas, most (29% of the total) go on to some college studies, but I would be very surprised that percentage graduated from college. It would be an odd educational distribution that found 29% with college degrees, 56% without high school diplomas, and only 15% somewhere between a high school diploma and a college degree.

Second, let’s remember that these data refer to workers as opposed to the population as a whole. Workers are older, and in particular include many who grew up during the “lost decade” of the 1980s when macroeconomic crises prevented many young Ticos from finishing high school. Although not a lot better, the rates of high school graduation and the like are higher today than they were, yet the workforce still includes many from this earlier cohort.

Third, let’s also remember that Costa Rica’s workforce includes many immigrants, mainly from Nicaragua, who as a rule didn’t have the same educational opportunities that Ticos have. It is not true that all Nicas lack a high school diploma or even a college degree, but the pattern is for them to have fewer years of schooling than Ticos, and this tendency pulls the overall numbers down.

Last, while it’s fair to cull the educational attainment data from the article, to my mind the main and important point of the article is how low the average earnings are in the country.

People are always overlooking this fact when opining about social policy. To take an important example, it’s common to hear complaints about “deadbeat dads” failing to pay child support. Well, I agree, fathers should pay child support, but honestly, how is a fellow earning less than $855 a month going to be able to pay much in child support? Until we rub our noses in the real earnings numbers, we don’t understand the magnitude of problems like this one.

By: disgusted

disgusted — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 19:56:00 +0000

A few things come to mind. One is the shear cost of sending one child to school, Uniforms,Books, insurance, and curriculum cost all pile on the parent for the FREE education. A 15 y/o cost his mother nearly $500 just the first month. I said insurance yes extra for each student to pay even though they have Caja thought the parent. 8 courses with books costing some 15,000 average and so on.. Most parents have more than one child and if they even make $700 a month you do the math.

Secondly, I wonder the quality.. The teachers are always asking for more money striking with pay. Sometime and many classes are commonly canceled. I see that the learning and all sad.. I had the student do a simple math problem and divide without a computer.. He could not do this without his calculator then even then took several attempts.

Grads for high school or even college are working in fast food or some other menial job making minimal wages.. Only hope some have connections in government and hold on to those jobs.

I am not surprise if the stats are padded and really higher percentage than 67%.. Sad! That is why private schools are in business here.