The Ministry of Education announced on Apr. 6 that construction of the new Carlos J. Peralta School in Guadalupe de Cartago is progressing, with completion expected by the end of November so students can begin the next academic year in new facilities.
This development is significant for the local community, as it addresses long-standing infrastructure needs and aims to provide better educational opportunities for the district’s growing student population.
The project began in September last year with a ceremony attended by President Rodrigo Chaves and Minister of Education Leonardo Sánchez. As of now, construction has reached 20 percent completion. The school will feature a three-story building with 27 classrooms, computer labs, a library, cafeteria, covered sports area, lactation room, play zone, industrial arts classroom, music lab, lobby, and administrative areas.
Minister Sánchez said: “Este centro educativo lleva más de un siglo de ser el orgullo de Guadalupe de Cartago. La que en su momento fue una obra visionaria necesitaba esta inversión para poder seguir haciendo crecer a su comunidad, debemos honrar la visión de sus fundadores y ver hacia el futuro con el mismo compromiso con la educación que siempre ha inspirado a los costarricenses.”
The school was originally established in 1886 and serves as the only primary school in its district. The previous facilities could no longer meet current demands after more than a century of service; therefore an investment exceeding 3.482 billion colones was made for this reconstruction.
Funding comes from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration through the Emergency Program for Comprehensive and Resilient Infrastructure Reconstruction (PROERI). Officials say this effort represents Costa Rica’s commitment to modernizing education infrastructure while honoring historical legacy.
