Due to the significant number of foreign students in Costa Rica, Costa Rican teachers were asked to adapt their lessons to cultural diversity.
Costa Rica’s office of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) asked each student to give their identity, regardless of their origin.
For example, according to data collected by said office, 15% of students in Costa Rica have Nicaraguan parents.
Many students come from another country, others were born here but they were raised by parents from another culture, with different beliefs and language. Today more than ever, tolerance in the classroom is necessary,”
said Rocío Solís, president of the Costa Rican Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO.
In 2016, 37,166 of the 898,796 students enrolled in the education system were foreigners, mostly Nicaraguans.
In the last 15 years, American students in the education system went from 1,377 to 2,108, Mexicans went from 276 to 401, Salvadorans from 581 to 702 and Europeans from 802 to 955.
But without doubt the most drastic increase is seen in the number of Venezuelans. The Costa Rican classrooms went from having 152 students from the South American nation in 2002, to having 856 last year,”
said UNESCO.
The Commission recommended that teachers communicate with these students, listen, pay attention, and create empathy to know that there is harmony in the classroom and thus have a greater adaptive process.