Business will sponsor schools to offer the International Baccalaureate

The cost of implementing the IB into 20 public schools will be covered by private companies.

An association was formed to, obtain, receive and manage these funds as well as to coordinate the program with the Ministry of education (MEP).

The group is formed by representatives from the current IB Costa Rican schools.

These private schools are: British, Lincoln, European, United World and Blue Valley and the public schools are Liceo of Costa Rica and Palmares which started the IB this year.

Steve Aronson, member of the Regional Advisory Council of the IB-Americas, estimates in $ 60,000.00 (₵33.6 million) the average cost of graduating an average of 35 students from this program.

This amount covers student’s inscription fees, examination fees as well as teacher training. The students must study for two years before graduating. Students who decide to take the International Baccalaureate must start a rigorous study program in tenth grade. Added to this the students have to course eleventh and twelfth grades in order to obtain their diploma, whereas student who do not enter the IB graduate in eleventh grade.

This as the International Baccalaureate offers better preparation in areas such as mathematics, science and English, language that the students will have to learn. Students also receive class on history of the Americas, Creativity, Theory of Knowledge, Action and Service and on the use of technology towards physics and biology. Added onto this students also take the Spanish and Social Studies course.

With this academic option students are more critical, this as the learning process is not memoristic but based on reasoning. Students must also research and do community service.