SAN JOSE, July 31, 2008 (AFP) - Less than 10 percent of English teachers in Costa Rica's public schools and colleges have a good command of the language, according to the Ministry of Public Education, citing its own study Wednesday.

Only 315 out of 3,193 English teachers from educational institutions across the Central American country were able to show they could give good lessons to their students.

Most teachers showed serious weaknesses in one or several of the areas of reading, comprehension, speaking and writing, said the study, carried out with the Fundacion Costa Rica - United States, which promotes English here.

The problems were worse in more developed tourist areas, where there is a growing demand for English-speaking staff, the study showed.

Several recent polls among Costa Rican businesses show that the country's labor market suffers from a lack of good English speakers.

The deputy education minister, Alejandrina Mata, told reporters that the ministry was working with universities to increase the number of improvement classes for teachers.