The television segment Chinaoke, part of the program El Chinamo on Teletica, returned in 2025 with a focus on the state of public education in Costa Rica. The first broadcast of the year aired on December 11 and criticized the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) for issues ranging from school security to infrastructure problems and the absence of promised educational reforms.
James Meneses and Melany Mora hosted this year’s segment. At the start, Mora stated: “Blessed be the Costa Rican mother who knows that her child at birth… will not know how to read in fourth grade? We are failing the ideal that distinguished us from the world. This Chinaoke addresses this setback and what it means for our future.”
Set to Rihanna’s song “Umbrella,” this episode featured Mariser Picado, a former participant in Nace una estrella. The lyrics referenced concerns about school infrastructure and safety, highlighting incidents such as threats and shootings within classrooms.
The song included lines such as: “And in full crisis, the route of education never existed. And a lost generation and its future in a country with so many murderers almost criminal. Pencils for weapons have become interchangeable. I’m going to get wet, this roof needs to change… Scholarships cut back, I can’t concentrate, a bullet entered the place, the teacher can no longer take care of so many children.”
The segment also addressed the removal of sexual education programs from schools. One refrain said: “It’s up to parents or pornography to teach. Violence took its place,” reflecting concerns about children’s lack of access to proper instruction and basic resources like toilet paper and electricity.
Additionally, Chinaoke highlighted students’ low proficiency in subjects such as English and mathematics. The producers called for action from MEP regarding these challenges.
Future episodes are expected to cover topics including tourism and corruption.
