SJ1003. SAN JOSÉ (COSTA RICA), 05/10/2015.- . EFE/Jeffrey Arguedas
Despite the high fiscal deficit, Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solís wishes to fulfill his promise: to allocate 8% of the gross domestic product (GDP) to education during 2017.
I, as a teacher, won’t lower the education budget. I will always fight for education resources,
stated Solís.
However, the fiscal situation continues to deteriorate and, according to Central Bank of Costa Rica’s macroeconomic program, the fiscal deficit would reach 6.2% out of the gross domestic product and, for 2017, it would rise to 7%.
Education budget is one of the highest: 2,362,194 colones, of which 1,470,084 are aimed to wages and salaries.
During his speeches, the president always highlights the benefits of investing in education and The Pacific Alliance Summit wasn’t the exception. At that time, Solís declared:
education is, in the end, our signature.
Deputy Minister of Expenditure, José Francisco Pacheco, said that president’s announcement should not be seen as an isolated message, but as a part of something bigger and added the citizens should wait to see the resources that the tax reform would generate, because it would allow Costa Ricans to stop the debt growth, finance education and reach 8% out of the GDP in order to provide resources and strengthen the Costa Rica system.