The island nation of Puerto Rico can be found in the Caribbean, to the east of the Dominican Republic. It is positioned between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Customs regulations imposed by the United States apply in Puerto Rico. The borders between Puerto Rico and the United States are currently open, allowing for unrestricted movement of both people and goods. Although Spanish and English are both recognized as official languages, Spanish is unquestionably the more widely spoken of the two. About one quarter of the population is bilingual in English and other languages, but their capabilities are limited. English must be used for all matters pertaining to the federal government. English is the primary language spoken in all of the major tourist destinations. African, Taino, Spanish, and, more recently, North American influence have all contributed to the formation of Puerto Rican culture. The significant role that music plays in their cultures cannot be overstated. Baseball is by far the most well-liked sport played on the island of Puerto Rico. Other well-liked sports include boxing, basketball, and volleyball. In point of fact, they have won the third most boxing world championships overall and lead the world in the number of champions per capita.
The economy of Puerto Rico is considered to be one of the most robust in all of the Caribbean. In the agricultural industry, the primary source of revenue comes from dairy production as well as other products derived from livestock. With an estimated arrival of nearly 3.9 million tourists in 1993, tourism has been an important source of income for the island, contributing approximately 7 percent of the island’s gross national product (GNP). The construction of the Puerto Rico Convention Center is another sign of the country’s current advantage in the tourism industry.
CULTURE AND OLD WAYS OF DOING THINGS
Read moreHow To Start Your Own CountryThe culture of Puerto Rico is fairly complex and colorful and has a numerous unique characteristics that mark their society from any other. The official languages in Puerto Rico are English and Spanish. However, Spanish is the main language and people in the country are not that expert in using the English language. Less than 20 percent of Puerto Ricans are fluent in English. Despite that Puerto Ricans are trained to use English as a second language from kindergarten to high school. Traditionally, the main religion in Puerto Rico is Roman Catholic. The Old San Juan is included in the World Heritage list. Now, it is a modern city with the typical high-rise buildings connected with a strong economy and a tourist industry.
Cuisine in Puerto Rico shows influences of several cultures. They make use of local products in their dishes like plantains, pork, seafood, spices, and sofrito. Rice is the main starch, along with batata, ñame, and yucca. Famous dishes are chicken with rice, mofongo, and rice and beans.
Read moreA brief history of NigeriaThe most popular sport in the country is baseball. In 1951, the country joined in the World Cup of Baseball and wins 1 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals. Orlando Cepeda and Roberto Clemente are two famous baseball players from the past. Basketball, boxing, cockfighting, fencing, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball are some of the other sports that are considered popular in Puerto Rico. Other popular sports include swimming. During this time period in the country’s history, several styles of music and dance were concurrently developed and performed. Disco, electronica, hip-hop, jig, salsa, tango, and waltz are the types of music and dance that are performed here. Others come into existence in their own right, such as classical ballet and classical music. Ricky Martin, originally from Puerto Rico, took home the Grammy for “Best Latin Pop Performance” in 1999 for his rendition of “Living La Vida Loca.” He is regarded as one of the most famous Latin performers in the entire globe.
LANGUAGE AND DIALECT
Both Spanish and English are recognized by the government as valid options for communication. Over 400 million people around the world, the vast majority of whom are located in Spain and Latin American countries, speak Spanish as their primary language. Spanish is the official language of the United States. It evolved into a number of regional varieties, also known as dialects. These distinctions are the result of different regions and countries combining their culture and history, which in turn creates differences in concepts, usage, vocabularies, and individual accents. English is taught as a second language in both public and private elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as in universities. Additionally, English is required in all proceedings before the federal government. Some people improve their command of the English language through participation in private classes, additional study, or practice using the language in their place of employment or other settings. It is also the primary language spoken in all tourist areas, with approximately 25% of the population being able to speak English, albeit with limited abilities.
Read moreThe Educational System in MexicoSince the year 1898, language has been a primary source of contention in Puerto Rican education and culture. The authorities in the United States of America have decided to use English as the language of instruction in schools. In 1930, robust opposition from various ethnic groups leads to the establishment of a new policy that designates Spanish as the primary language of teaching and English as the secondary language. The leaders of the movement that supported the creation of a commonwealth all signed a piece of legislation that established Spanish as the sole official language of the country. This judgment was overturned by Governor Pedro J. Rossello, who signed legislation reinstating equal level of Spanish and English language instruction. Consequently, the jury’s decision was overturned.
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America. It is located in the northeastern Caribbean Sea, just to the east of the Dominican Republic and to the west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico’s official name is the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The largest of Puerto Rico’s other islands are Vieques, Culebra, and Mona. Puerto Rico is an archipelago that consists of the main island, which is also called Puerto Rico, and a number of smaller islands. The main island of Puerto Rico is the largest island in the Lesser Antilles chain of islands in terms of total geographic area, while the island of Puerto Rico itself is the smallest island in the Greater Antilles. The territory has the third highest population out of the remaining group of four islands, which also includes Cuba, Hispaniola (the island that is home to both Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Jamaica.
Source Elementary School is located in San German.
The United States of America granted citizenship to Puerto Ricans in 1917, and in 1948, the United States granted Puerto Ricans the right to elect their own governor for the territory. During this time period, Puerto Rico assumed control of the educational system of the territory, which included the territory’s system of higher education.
In 1952, in response to a request from the United States of America, a local territorial constitution was drafted, debated, and ultimately ratified by the populace. Although Puerto Rico is still considered to be a territory of the United States, the Puerto Rican territorial government is in charge of monitoring and supervising the majority of the island’s major institutions, including education and schools. This is because of the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act, which stipulates that Puerto Ricans are still under the jurisdiction of the United States Congress.
Puerto Rico, which is a territory of the United States, has flourished in a number of ways as a result of being a part of the United States, and its economy and standard of living consistently rank higher than those of its other island neighbors. Much of this success can be attributed to the excellent system of higher education on the island—a system that is modeled closely after that of the United States, one of the world’s leaders in that particular category.
The Education System of Puerto Rico: Facts
Read moreThe languages spoken in QatarEducation in Puerto Rico is overseen and administered by the country’s Department of Education and the Puerto Rican Education Council. The Department of Education supervises all primary and secondary public education while the Council oversees all academic standards, and issues licenses to private educational institutions wishing to operate or establish themselves in Puerto Rico.
Schooling in Puerto Rico is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 17, which comprises the elementary, intermediate and high school grades. Children/students in Puerto Rico may attend either public or private schools. At the end of the school year in 2013, there were a total of 1,460 public schools, 764 private schools, and over 50 institutions of higher education located on the island.
Read moreBrain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day!In 2002, the overall literacy rate of the Puerto Rican population was 94.1 percent; when this figure is broken down by gender, it is distributed as follows: males have a literacy rate of 93.9 percent, while females have a literacy rate of 94.4 percent. According to the Census completed in 2010, 60.0% of the population has completed high school or an equivalent level of education, and 18.3% of the population has completed a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent level of education.
Read moreThe Culture, Traditions, and Heritage of Hong KongThe public and the private pre-higher education systems continue to be heavily influenced by the educational model used in the United States. The higher education system is also based on the American model, with undergraduate associate degrees being awarded after two years of study and various bachelor’s degrees being awarded to students after they have successfully completed four years of prescribed study. There are also graduate research degrees that can be earned in this country, such as a Master of Arts, Master of Science, or even (much less frequently) a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). All of these degrees can be earned in this country. The school of education at the relevant university will also confer the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree on successful candidates. The professional post-graduate schools (law, medicine, etc.) each offer their own degrees that are analogous to the J.D., M.D., and M.B.A. degrees offered in the United States.
On the island, one can also find schools geared specifically toward adults. At these educational facilities, students can take courses as fundamental as reading, writing, and the English language, all the way up to advanced levels of education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. There are also more specialized private postsecondary schools in the country, which vary in terms of the quality they offer. These schools offer education in a wide variety of professional fields or trades, such as secretarial work, technology, television repair, tourism, and business. The quality of these schools varies.
At all levels of education, beginning with primary school and continuing through secondary school, Spanish is used as the language of instruction; however, both English and Spanish are utilized in academic settings at the university level. Exceptions to this rule include English-language specialized classes (depending on the subject matter and instructor). The textbooks used in public pre-university education are all written in Spanish (with the exception of those used in English classes); however, textbooks used in university education can be written in either Spanish or English.
Read moreThe Culture, Traditions, and Heritage of EgyptIn the majority of Puerto Rico’s primary and secondary school districts, access to information technology (IT) and other resources is quite restricted. Higher education institutions across the country now make technology significantly more accessible to their students. A substantial number of non-public educational facilities at the secondary and college-age level that specialize in practical IT training are located in the larger towns and cities; these are well-subscribed because they lead to positions in enterprises and the government that depend on computer literacy.
Due to the highly centralized nature of Puerto Rico’s public education system at the pre-university level, curriculum development has traditionally been carried out under the watchful eye of the Commonwealth Department of Education (United States). Additionally, the College of Education at the University of Puerto Rico has had a significant amount of impact in this sector. The Commonwealth’s politics have traditionally placed a strong emphasis on economic planning. This has played an important part in determining which areas of study merit increased funding, with the belief that technological advancement and, more recently, globalization are the keys to future progress.
Read moreWhat Do You Know About The Philippines?Last but not least, the system of public education has been beset by a number of severe crises. Between the years 1940 and 1968, Puerto Rico was a one-party state that was headed by a single individual who held absolute power. Such a political framework tends to render meaningful discussion rather difficult. Consequently, in the absence of effective open discussion on the goals of public education, the early Commonwealth failed to develop in the nation an underlying consensus concerning the purposes of mass public education. Consequently, when governing power changed hands from the P.P.D. to the New Progressive Party in 1968, the sort of long range planning possible within the one-party political context no longer was possible. The newly victorious party in power did everything in its power to undo the policies and procedures that its previous opponents had put in place.History and Overview of Poland
