The United Nations System in Costa Rica requested to guarantee the right to education of indigenous peoples. The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is celebrated on August 9th.
According to official data, only 13% indigenous people graduate from college and 41% fall behind academically.
We need to develop and improve as a country so children, adolescents and young indigenous people are fully integrated into our educational system. In addition, their languages, customs, cultures and values must be fully respected,
declared Alice Shackelford, UN System resident coordinator.
In Costa Rica there are about 104,000 indigenous people belonging to Bribí, Cabécar, Maleku, Chorotega, Huetar, Teribe, Brunca and Ngäbe ethnic groups. 36,000 of them live in 24 territories. Moreover, 15,000 and 20,000 Ngäbe and Bugle indigenous migrants come from Panama and enter the country to perform agricultural work.
They suffer from several problems such as discrimination and exclusion, denial of their rights to land and territories, as well as denial to have access to basic services.