The Minister of Public Education, Leonardo Sánchez Hernández, invited students across the country on March 23 to engage in reading and writing stories as part of the 2026 school year’s theme: “School shapes us, writing drives us, and values guide us.” The announcement took place at Mauro Fernández Acuña School in San José, where Sánchez Hernández shared stories with sixth-year students.
The minister’s call aims to encourage creativity and self-expression among students. Initiatives such as Mi Cuento Fantástico and ¡A CREAR! are highlighted for strengthening student voices, communication skills, creativity, critical thinking, self-confidence, and the ability to express ideas.
Mi Cuento Fantástico has been active for 15 years through a partnership between the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) and Asociación de Amigos para el Aprendizaje (ADA). The project reaches more than 1,400 schools and over 8,400 teachers, benefiting more than 179,000 third- to sixth-year students. Meanwhile, ¡A CREAR! supports over 4,000 students in thirty schools across regions such as Santa Cruz and San José. This initiative is also implemented by ADA alongside MEP and partners like Creciendo Juntos.
During his visit to a creative writing classroom known as Aula Fantástica—where all students write their own stories—the minister listened as children shared their work. He also read one of his own stories to foster motivation among the participants. Sánchez Hernández said: “Escribir no es solo una tarea de español. Es aprender a poner en palabras lo que uno piensa, lo que uno siente… lo que uno imagina. Por eso estamos impulsando ¡A CREAR! y Mi Cuento Fantástico… La idea es simple: que en las aulas haya más espacio para leer, escribir y compartir historias. Porque cuando un estudiante descubre que puede escribir… también descubre que tiene algo que decir.”
Student Katalina Rojas Marín—twice winner of Mi Cuento Fantástico—said: “Tener espacios para escribir nuestros cuentos y compartirlos con otros nos permite imaginar y expresar emociones y sentimientos.” Two student-authored tales read during the event were “¡Cuidado peligro en el bosque Colorido!” and “El club de Sephora”.
The ministry’s activities form part of broader efforts that include standardized national testing for more than 53 thousand graduating high school students from both public and private institutions between March 23-27.
