The Tico Times Online Daily Page

Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, February 26, 2003

MISSING THE BUS: School has started, but buses are slow to roll.
TT/ Julio Lainez

School Bus Problems
Still Unresolved
More than two weeks after the school year started earlier this month, many of the government-subsidized buses are still not running and low-income students at some of the nation's rural schools are having a hard time getting to class.
(Click for more)

Saprissa Could Score with Mexicans
A Mexican company that produces natural medical products contacted San José soccer club Deportivo Saprissa yesterday to discuss the possibility of purchasing several million dollars worth of the team's stock, reported the club's spokesman.
(Click for more)

Government Unveils Road Map for Road Repair
Public Works and Transport Minister Javier Chaves yesterday unveiled the government's new plan to improve the quality of the country's roads and public works projects.
(Click for more)

February 26

Wind Trio from Florida State University
Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, at 7:30 p.m., at the Eugene O’Neil Theater, C.R.-North American Cultural Center, Ca. 37, Barrio Dent. Also on Fri., Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. at the University of Costa Rica, Music School in Palmares. Info: 207-7555.

French Pianist in Concert
German and French Embassies invite everyone to the presentation of French pianist Cédric Tibergheien on Sat., March 1, at 8 p.m., National Auditorium in the Children’s Museum, end Ca. 4. Info: 234-4167.

Gymnastics for Babies
Hurry! register your kid today forMacro-gymnastics Class for babies two-months and up. Every Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Zingari Dance Studio 350 m. north of the Red Cross in Santa Ana. Info: 282-1127.

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School Bus Problems
Still Unresolved
By Amanda Schoenberg
aschoenberg@ticotimes.net

More than two weeks after the school year started earlier this month, many of the government-subsidized buses are still not running and low-income students at some of the nation's rural schools are having a hard time getting to class.

According to the Ministry of Education, some 240 bus routes for the free school buses provided to impoverished neighborhoods have still not been assigned or are in the process of being assigned this week.

Acknowledging the public transportation problem, Education Minister Astrid Fischel on Monday ordered funds to be redirected to parent-run school boards as an immediate emergency measure.

The funds, which will be electronically transferred to each school board's bank account, will help low-income parents pay ordinary public transportation fees, while they wait for the Ministry of Education to iron out the contract issues for the free bus service.

Although no specific date could be confirmed, the Ministry of Education said it hopes to have all the routes finalized by mid-March.

Free transportation is available to low-income students with passing grades who live in rural areas at least 10 kilometers from their schools. In some cases, students who live closer to school but face other variables -- such as deplorable road conditions -- are also eligible for free transportation.

This year the Ministry of Education received ¢4.6 billion ($12 million) to finance the 740 bus routes, serving 56,000 students nationwide.

More than 65% of the 740 bus routes were assigned when classes began Feb. 10, while 32% of the routes had not yet been assigned, according to the Ministry.

The problem of unassigned routes is most prominent in the Pacific port town of Puntarenas (24), followed by the Southern Zone province of Pérez Zeledón (20), the Northern Zone's San Carlos (21) and the Caribbean-slope region of Turrialba (15).

According to the Education Ministry's press office, the previous administration often did not sign formal contracts with transportation providers, leaving the school transportation system in "disorder."

The current administration is left to sort out the concession mess so that all buses will have a legal, well-defined contract for each route, the Ministry said.

Approximately 5% of the nation's most remote schools have no public or state-sponsored transportation, according to government statistics.

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Saprissa Could Score with Mexicans

Saprissa hopes Mexicans can help them get back on top.
AFP/TT

A Mexican company that produces natural medical products contacted San José soccer club Deportivo Saprissa yesterday to discuss the possibility of purchasing several million dollars worth of the team's stock, reported the club's spokesman.

Saprissa, one of Costa Rica's most popular and historically successful teams, is reportedly $4 million in debt.

The Mexican company is already one of the sponsors of Guadalajara's Chivas, one of Mexico's more wealthy soccer clubs.

Last week, a group of investors, headed by Costa Rica's polemic Vice-President Luis Fishman, announced its intention to invest $2 million in the team's stocks, but has not yet finalized the deal.

Saprissa has not won a national championship in three years and recently has lost several of its big-name players due to financial problems.
-AFP

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Government Unveils Road Map for Road Repair
By Fabian Borges
Tico Times Staff

Public Works and Transport Minister Javier Chaves yesterday unveiled the government's new plan to improve the quality of the country's roads and public works projects.

"We studied the main problems affecting public works projects and have begun to take measures to correct them," Chaves said. "Instead of looking at the project as a whole, we now see it as a multi-phased process; each phase must be paid attention to in order to guarantee the project's outcome will be a success."

The plan's main goal will be to establish a coherent long-term strategy for building new roads and maintaining existing ones. The plan calls for roadwork to be planned years in advance, regardless of which political party governs the country.

As of this month, all new roads will be paved with a stronger type of asphalt to improve durability. The new asphalt, known as AC30, is thicker and more resistant to the high temperatures and constant rain of tropical climates, Chaves explained.

The National Roadway Council also will begin to apply "ISO 9000 international standards" to guarantee quality.

The Council is in the process of acquiring the international-regulation manuals and will begin to apply the new standards in the coming months, the Ministry said. Within the next two years, international experts will visit the country to evaluate the Ministry's progress.

The Ministry also announced a new series of regulations to guarantee that private firms contracted by the government to build roads complete the projects on time and according to the new standards.

A registry will be kept of all the companies hired for public works projects. Companies that perform poorly will be taken off the list and won't be allowed to apply for future government contracts, and companies that fail to meet their contractual obligations will be penalized.

The new plan all calls for improved communication and coordination among all those involved in a project's various phases. Each project will have a head coordinator in charge of overseeing every aspect of it, from initial design to completion.

"This means there will be someone accountable for each project," Chaves said.

The contract process will also be streamlined.

"Contracts no longer will have to be submitted to the Comptroller General's Office and work on it can begin right away," Chaves said.

All roadwork on urban streets during the summer months will be conducted at night to lessen the negative effects on traffic. However, Chaves said, repairs during the rainy season will have to be done in the morning because it is impossible to work on wet asphalt.

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Pacheco Favors a Bush, Hussein Debate

President Abel Pacheco said yesterday that he thinks U.S. President George W. Bush should take Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein up on his recent challenge of a live, internationally broadcasted television debate.

"For the sake of peace, one should be willing to talk with anyone, even the devil," Pacheco said, not specifying which of the two he believed to be the devil. "I am not in a position to tell President Bush what he should do, but I would accept the opportunity to talk."

The White House has already declined the proposal, saying that the issue is disarmament, not debate.
-AFP

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