Hundreds of students, teachers, and public university workers demonstrated this Wednesday, November 11, through the streets of San José, Costa Rica, to demand greater funding for public education and reject budget cuts that, according to the organizing organizations, threaten the operation of schools, colleges, and universities.
The mobilization began around 9:30 a.m. at La Merced Park, from where participants traveled along Avenida Segunda to reach the Plaza de la Democracia, in front of the Legislative Assembly.
The protest involved the National Association of Educators (ANDE), the Association of Secondary Education Teachers (APSE), the Costa Rican Education Workers Union (SEC), high school students, university federations, and representatives from the five public universities.
The demonstration proceeded peacefully, although it caused vehicular congestion in the capital's center.
Educational budget is far from the constitutional 8%
One of the main demands concerns the resources allocated to public education for 2027, which represent approximately 4.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
The figure is 3.1 percentage points below the 8% established in Article 78 of the Political Constitution.
The unions assert that the funding is insufficient to meet the needs of...
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Hundreds of university students, teachers, and union representatives marched through the streets of San José this November 11 to demand a larger budget for public education. Credit: ANDE.
Hundreds of students, teachers, and workers from public universities demonstrated this Wednesday, November 11, through the streets of San José, Costa Rica, to demand greater funding for public education and reject budget cuts that, according to the organizing organizations, threaten the operation of schools, colleges, and universities. The mobilization began around 9:30 a.m. at La Merced Park, from where participants traveled along Avenida Segunda to reach the Plaza de la Democracia, in front of the Legislative Assembly. The protest involved the National Association of Educators (ANDE), the Association of Secondary Education Teachers (APSE), the Costa Rican Education Workers' Union (SEC), high school students, university federations, and representatives from the five public universities. The demonstration proceeded peacefully, although it caused vehicular congestion in the capital's center. The mobilization started at La Merced Park and advanced to the Plaza de la Democracia, in front of the Legislative Assembly, where the demonstrators gathered. Credit: UNA Comunica.
One of the main demands concerns the resources allocated to public education for 2027, which represent approximately 4.9% of the gross domestic product (GDP). This figure is 3.1 percentage points below the 8% established in Article 78 of the Political Constitution. Unions assert that the funding is insufficient to meet the needs of infrastructure, school cafeterias, student transportation, scholarships, and the operation of educational centers. Gilda Montero, president of ANDE, expressed her concern during the concentration. "The education budget is going down," stated the leader, who also questioned pending commitments to the sector. For his part, Gilberth Díaz, president of the SEC, pointed out that educational investment is related to the opportunities that new generations will have. Public universities reject two budget reductions totaling ₡16.096 million, related to FEES resources corresponding to 2026 and 2027. Credit: APSE.
The protest occurred just 24 hours after the Legislative Assembly's Finance Affairs Commission approved a motion to reduce ₡8.048 million (USD 17.5 million) from the second extraordinary budget for 2026. The decision, supported by deputies from the Sovereign People Party, is added to another reduction of ₡8.048 million (USD 17.5 million) incorporated into the 2027 budget project, approved in its first debate. In total, the proposed reductions amount to ₡16.096 million (USD 35 million).
The National Council of Rectors (CONARE) maintains that these resources correspond to funds from the Special Fund for Higher Education (FEES), whose transfer was postponed during 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. According to CONARE, in November 2025, the Government committed to returning them gradually through eight disbursements, an agreement CONARE now considers breached. University authorities warn of possible consequences for scholarships, laboratories, facility maintenance, research, and regional campuses. The reductions are still subject to the corresponding legislative process. The call included demands related to the payment of annual fees, labor surcharges, and planning lessons, in addition to questioning the application of the global salary. Regarding pensions, APSE denounced that the State has outstanding obligations exceeding ₡44 billion (USD 97 million) with the Board of Pensions and Retirements of the National Teaching Staff (JUPEMA). The organization acknowledges that the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) announced payments exceeding ₡30 billion (USD 66 million), but maintains that there are still amounts unpaid. The call included demands related to the payment of annual fees, labor surcharges, and planning lessons. Credit: ANDE.
The Executive branch has defended the budget adjustments by arguing that certain resources were improperly allocated and that the modifications seek to meet obligations regarding the pension system, school cafeterias, and student transportation. For his part, the Minister of Education, Leonardo Sánchez, questioned the reasons for the call and announced that he will request a judicial review of the legality of the strike. The chief executive indicated that it is up to the judicial authorities to determine if the movement meets the legal requirements and reminded them that services such as special education and school cafeterias must be guaranteed. Meanwhile, universities and union organizations maintain their requests for budget review before Congress, where the discussion regarding public resources for 2027 continues.