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10 Jan 2006 |
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Daily Edition: San José, Costa Rica, January 10, 2006
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Education Ministry
Announces 2006 Goals
Public Education Minister Manuel Antonio Bolaños, who presented the ministry's plans for the 2006 school year yesterday, said he is optimistic that his four years in office will end in May on a strong note, with Costa Rica well on its way to meeting its educational goals – though he admitted the school system faces significant challenges in the areas of teacher preparation and infrastructure.
(Click for more)
Boy Shot from a Car in Limón
Remains In Critical Condition
An 11-year old boy who was hit by a bullet while walking down the street in the Caribbean port city of Limón Saturday evening remains in delicate condition in the intensive care unit of the Children's Hospital in San José, according to pediatric neuronatologist and general director of the Children's Hospital Dr. Rodolfo Hernández.
(Click for more)
Negotiations Failed for
Soccer's Cristian Bolaños
Between Saprissa and Liverpool
Negotiations between Costa Rica 's Saprissa soccer team and England 's Liverpool team for the trade of centerfielder Cristian Bolaños fell through after a week of discussion, according to a sports source yesterday.
(Click for more)
January 10
Butterflies and Camping
Today the Simón Bolivar Zoo in San José is offering kids 2-4 the chance to learn about butterflies at 9 a.m. Also, the Santa Ana Conservation Center, west of the capital, invites children 7-12 to enjoy a camping trip leaving today and returning Jan. 13. Info: 256-0012 or 233-6701.
RG Elementos Camp
For children 7-12, games, fun, talks about values, Jan. 10-12, Campamento Bautista, San Rafael, Alajuela. Info: 210-1268, 818-3702.
INBioparque Summer Activities:
Kids 3-5: Colors and Disguises, Jan. 10; Taking Care of the Farm, Jan. 10, 11, 19, 20, 24, 26; Expedition in the Forest, Jan. 10, 11, 19. Kids 6-8: Today I'm a Farmer, Jan. 10, 13, 20; Learning about Insects, Jan. 10, 11, 19. Kids 9-11: Beetle Safari, Jan. 10, 12, 18, 20, 24; Planting a Garden, Jan. 10, 13, 18, 19, 24; INBioparque, Santo Domingo, Heredia. Info: 507-8115.
Edited By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
Education Ministry Announces 2006 Goals
By Katherine Stanley
Tico Times Staff
kstanley@ticotimes.net
Public Education Minister Manuel Antonio Bolaños, who presented the ministry's plans for the 2006 school year yesterday, said he is optimistic that his four years in office will end in May on a strong note, with Costa Rica well on its way to meeting its educational goals – though he admitted the school system faces significant challenges in the areas of teacher preparation and infrastructure.
Approximately 1.05 million students will head to class on Feb. 7, up from 1.03 million last year. The increase comes in preschool and high school; the number of primary students registered decreased slightly since this time last year.
To deal with the increase and reduce some of the problems in years past, the ministry is armed with a budget 13.81% larger than the year before – approximately ¢536 billion ($1.08 billion) – which will fund projects including the opening of new schools and the hiring of 1,548 additional teachers.
However, insufficient teacher preparation is likely to continue making it difficult for the ministry to find qualified candidates for those spots, Bolaños said. According to William Cordero, the ministry's personnel director, many teachers are retiring, heightening the pressure to find new candidates.
“What worries us is the lack of the teachers we need, and in some cases the quality of teachers who graduated is worrisome,” Bolaños told The Tico Times after yesterday's press conference, held at the National Teaching Center in Guadalupe, north of San José.
According to Bolaños, the areas of greatest need in terms of qualified teachers are math, new technologies, English and French. The lack of teachers in the latter two subjects makes it difficult to ensure students learn a second language, he added.
“We can't talk about a second language if we don't have teachers capable to teach it,” he said.
Along with the hiring of additional teachers, the ministry will devote funds in 2006 to student safety – the inspection of students' bags, implemented in 2004 (TT, Feb. 27, 2004), will continue this year, he said – buying new desks for schools, and bolstering the Social Equity Program. The latter program's budget includes free breakfast, grants and transport funding for students who lack resources.
A new development for Costa Rican students this year will take place at the Liceo de Costa Rica in San José, where the International Baccalaureate (IB) program will be offered for the first time. According to Bolaños, it's the first time any public high school in Latin America has offered the prestigious degree.
The 2006 school year will run until Dec. 20, in accordance with the ministry's stated goal to offer 200 days of school each year.
See Friday's print or online pdf edition of The Tico Times for more on the Public Education Ministry's plans for the year.
Boy Shot from a Car in Limón
Remains In Critical Condition
By Amanda Roberson
Tico Times Staff
aroberson@ticotimes.net
An 11-year old boy who was hit by a bullet while walking down the street in the Caribbean port city of Limón Saturday evening remains in delicate condition in the intensive care unit of the Children's Hospital in San José, according to pediatric neuronatologist and general director of the Children's Hospital Dr. Rodolfo Hernández.
Witnesses said the bullet that hit Edwin Herrera behind the left ear appeared to come from a black car, reported the daily Al Día.
The boy was transported to the nearby Hospital Tony Facio around midnight, Hernández said, and was soon transported to the National Children's Hospital in San José, where doctors operated early Sunday morning.
“He still has the possibility of surviving,” Hernández said, “but at the moment, he has limited movement in his left arm and leg.”
Doctors will perform tests to check the condition of his brain in the next few days.
Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) have launched an investigation into the case, said OIJ spokeswoman Xinia Zamora, and hope to locate the car from which the bullet was shot as well as its driver and passengers.
A judicial official told the daily Al Día there have been other reports of shots being fired from a black car for no apparent reason, but, until Saturday, no one had been injured.
The boy's father, Edwin Rafael Herrera, told Al Día he has no idea who could have wanted to shoot his son.
“I don't have any enemies, and much less my son. He's only an 11-year old boy,” Herrera said.
Negotiations Failed for Soccer's Cristian Bolaños
Between Saprissa and Liverpool
Negotiations between Costa Rica 's Saprissa soccer team and England 's Liverpool team for the trade of centerfielder Cristian Bolaños fell through after a week of discussion, according to a sports source yesterday.
Saprissa indicated yesterday on its Web site that “after a week on English soil, Cristian Bolaños is returning to the purple team and will not firm up an agreement with Liverpool.”
After listening to Liverpool coach Rafael Benítez's proposal, Saprissa manager Jeaustin Campos decided not to accept it because “he is confident of Cristian's training.” The 21-year-old player was expected to return to Costa Rica yesterday.
Bolaños traveled to England last Jan. 2 to train with Liverpool after being invited by Benítez, who was interested in him after his performance in the FIFA (International Soccer Federation) World Club Championship last December in Japan.
-ACAN-EFE
