On Friday, September 25, 2020, the Multilateral Chamber of Commerce and Cooperation Israel Ibero-America (now the Israel Ibero-America Chamber of Commerce) held an online conference on the transformation of the public education system in Costa Rica. The event also presented the advantages of a project led by the Chamber to tackle the new challenges of 21st-century education in the country’s single-teacher education.
The conference lasted almost 5 hours, drew more than 800 views and featured prominent figures from the national and international education community.
Technological and territorial gaps in Costa Rican education
The challenge of equity
The opening session featured Ms. Isabel Román, coordinator of the Equity and Social Integration chapter of the State of the Nation Program (Programa Estado de la Nación), Costa Rica. In her presentation she outlined the technological and territorial gaps affecting learning during the pandemic.
Lessons from Israel and Finland for the education of the future
Next, Dr. Beatriz Katz, director of the International Ibero-American Center – Gordon Academic College, Haifa (Israel), gave a keynote lecture on the lessons Israel can offer in technological approaches for the education of the present and the future, and on the options for applying them in the Ibero-American context.
Professor Tiina Mäkelä, who holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Jyväskylä (Finland), then gave another keynote lecture on redesigning learning environments, based on research and on the experience gained during the COVID-19 crisis in Finland.
The Chamber’s proposals for Costa Rica’s single-teacher schools
Single-teacher schools are educational centers, usually rural, in which a single teacher teaches students of different grades.
The fourth segment of the event featured Luis Aponte, the Chamber’s Director of Social Affairs, and Luis Mauricio Díaz, the Chamber’s regional director in Costa Rica and director of the Costa Rica Support and Promotion Office (OSPCR). Both presented the solutions the Chamber seeks to provide for some of the difficulties faced by single-teacher schools.
At the same time, Dr. Daniela Giraldo, the Chamber’s specialist in educational tools, presented the virtual school tool promoted by the institution.
Panel discussion on the state of education
The event closed with a panel discussion on the outlook for the state of education, with the participation of:
- Carolina Taborda, co-founder and executive director of STEAMED Latam.
- David O. Abraham, President of the Multilateral Chamber of Commerce and Cooperation Israel Ibero-America.
- The Marquis Antonio de Sousa Lara, former Under-Secretary of Culture of the Government of Portugal.
The panel also featured Mr. Christian Rivera, director of the NGO Costa Rica Azul. With this event, the Chamber once again expressed its conviction about the importance of holding activities that help improve the quality of life and of education in Ibero-American countries.
The Chamber and educational cooperation with Costa Rica
Training and educational cooperation are part of CILIB’s work between Israel and the Ibero-American countries. Discover the CILIB Academy, the Chamber’s cooperation agreements and the Costa Rica country profile.
