So far this year, interest in distance education services in Central American markets has clearly increased, with Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras being the countries that have registered the greatest increases in interactions associated with the topic.
Through a system monitoring changes in consumer interests and preferences in Central American countries in real time, developed by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData, it is possible to project short and long term demand trends for the different products, sectors and markets operating in the region.
Shorter university degrees that focus on technical areas and the new requirements of the productive sector are some of the changes that will be part of the new reality of the education business.
In this context of radical changes caused by the covid-19 crisis, new labor trends will require the development of competencies, such as entrepreneurship, agility, adaptability and service mentality, digital skills, food, telecommuting and home-based businesses, health and hygiene, e-commerce, new distribution and logistics models, information technology and robotics.
The health and economic crisis has forced private schools and universities in Central American countries to cut back on staff, invest in platforms for virtual classes, offer payment facilities and increase their presence in the digital environment.
Because of the spread of covid-19, in most countries in the region, face-to-face classes at all educational levels have been suspended since mid-March 2020.
In Central America, more than 17 million people are looking to purchase educational services online, and 9% of these consumers are exploring options to purchase language courses.
The interactive information system developed by CentralAmericaData, monitors in real time the changes in consumer habits in all markets of the region, with fundamental information to understand the new commercial environment that has emerged in an accelerated manner.
The latest PISA assessment confirms that Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the only countries in the region to appear in its ranking, are far from the average results obtained by the OECD group of nations.
Although in the last ten years the average expenditure per primary and secondary student increased by about 15% in OECD countries, most of their states do not report significant progress in education.
Because private universities in the South American country have internationalization programs for their educational services, there are opportunities to attract foreign students in specific areas.
The study "Oportunidades de exportación de servicios educativos a Perú", elaborated by Procomer Costa Rica, explains that the areas with greater opportunity for the educational offer of the Costa Rican market are those in which the country is internationally recognized as sustainability as a transversal area to any area of study (architecture, fashion), agribusiness, tourism and peace.
Low educational quality, obsolete teacher hiring processes and lack of universal application of new educational programs are some of the factors that threaten the future of public education in Costa Rica.
"Education is the movement from darkness to light", said American philosopher Allan Bloom. The results of the most recent report prepared by the State of the Nation Program reveal that in terms of public education, Costa Rica seems to be in darkness.
In Costa Rica, "of the 126,000 students graduating with technical qualifications, between 2014 and 2016, the vast majority gained the lowest level qualification."
EDITORIAL
Figures from the most recent report on the State of Education in Costa Rica, continue to show serious deficiencies in the education system, not only at the technical and university level, but, even worse, in Primary school, where basic concepts that will serve as a foundation for secondary and university education are supposed to be consolidated.
Central Americans and other Latin Americans are feeling more concerned about what Trump can say or do, than over the only thing that can really change the fate of poverty in the region, which is education.
Why insist on making students learn French instead of applying the resources invested in teaching this language to other languages that are more in demand by the market such as English, Portuguese, German or Mandarin?
EDITORIAL
The design of school and college curriculums is supposed to be primarily based on the objectives of the political social project being promoted by the government, which should prioritise preparing students for incorporation into the national economy, complemented by cultural elements which should cover the ENTIRE population of the country.
Dual education is a system which corrects the permanent discrepancy that exists between centralized education and labor supply, reducing youth unemployment and increasing the productivity of economies.
EDITORIAL
The use of professional training is the foundation for the success of Germany's productivity, and has been adopted in most European countries, with particular strength in Austria and Switzerland. In Germany it has helped the country to maintain a low rate of youth unemployment and has ensured a supply of technical experts for their companies and from this the competitiveness of the German economy has increased.
In Costa Rica the 14% increase in funds for state universities has generated discussion even within the sector, over which stages of education produces better results from investment in terms of economic performance and social justice.
EDITORIAL
The analyst Francisco Villalobos in his article on Crhoy.com reports on the data regarding investments made by middle class families in the education of their children, noting that "the budget increase demanded by universities should be directed towards primary and secondary education therefore the state can support families when they most need support. "
Adpoting the PISA tests as a basic tool for the management of education systems is essential if you want to push back the boundaries of underdevelopment.
EDITORIAL
It is not uncommon to hear from officials in Latin American educational corporations that the PISA assessment system is "unfair" because it compares results with those obtained in advanced countries.
More jobs and less poverty is the refrain of Central American politicians, while they say little or nothing about education, without which there are no jobs nor wealth generation.
EDITORIAL
Even in Costa Rica, where its educational system during the past century allowed the country to reach higher development levels than its neighbors, education is not a priority issue in the election campaign which is in full swing, despite the fact that the Costa Rican public education system is visibly losing more and more students as parents are increasingly opting for private schools and colleges in order to try to secure a decent future for their children.
While in the rest of the world the standard is close connections between the private sector and academia, the region is still holding on to old ideological myths, which negatively affect development.
On inaugurating in El Salvador the II National Congress of Higher Education entitled "Linking Higher Education to the Workplace", the Minister of Education, Franzi Hato Hasbun, noted the need to "carry out a process of connection between company and university , encouraging three fundamental aspects: research, innovation and overcoming social projections. "
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