(a) pre-service teacher training

Universities (public and private) which have Education Schools

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

Ministry of Education

Universities (public and private) which have Education Schools

2. Which institutions are responsible for ensuring the quality and
effectiveness in your country in:

(a) pre-service teacher training

Universities (public and private) which have Education Schools

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

Ministry of Education

3. Which institutions are responsible for policies in your
country/region of:

(a) pre-service teacher training

Universities (public and private) which have Education Schools

Ministry of Education may make suggestions or sign special agreements with University Education Schools.

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

Ministry of Education

4.  What studies or evaluations have been completed in your
country/region for:

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

None to my knowledge.

5. What effective practices exist in your country/region for

(a) pre-service teacher training

Only the ones that might be conducted by the different Schools of Education, which are not many besides the regular, expository Pedagogy courses.

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

Typically short actualization courses, offered by the Ministry of Education, or Schools of Education Extension Programs, or specialized private institutes.

6.  What ways have institutions in your country/region used to
monitor, be accountable and/or measure effectiveness of

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

None. In fact, the quality of teacher training (whether pre-service or in-service) is currently being much criticized.

7.  What strengths exist in your country/region for including human
rights education into:

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

In the country there is a long tradition of human rights defense and promotion; a strong sense of its importance in children’s education, and the topic is already part of elementary and high school curricula.

HRE is not usually part of pre-service teacher training, but if there is a movement to raise awareness of its importance in Schools of Education, there should be no strong opposition to include it somehow in the training curriculum.

In-service teachers have often received short training courses or workshops on the subject offered by the Ministry of Education or the Ombudsman Office. The Inter-American Institute of Human Rights has taught several of them during the past decade.

8. What weaknesses exist in your country/region for:

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

Low qualifications of teacher trainers; weak curricula; short duration of  the study programs to become a teacher.

9.  What opportunities are there in your country/region for human
rights education in:

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

As said before, the country  has a long tradition of promoting human rights, a strong sense of its importance in children’s education, and the  topic is already part of elementary and high school official curricula. Teacher training is the “missing link” in an otherwise positive scenario for HRE.

10.  What are threats/obstacles exist in your country/region for
human rights education in:

(a) pre-service teacher training

(b) in-service teacher training/professional development

The main obstacle in my opinion is the general lack of awareness of the importance of training future teachers in HRE. School curricula and text-books which include HRE contents are necessary, but no sufficient conditions to fully incorporate HRE in the educational system. Furthermore, in-service teacher training provided (briefly and occasionally) by the Ministry of Education is not enough. The training effort should be seriously made during the regular formation process of new teachers, which in Costa Rica is conducted by university Schools of Education –both public and private.