by Rod Hughes

Perhaps Costa Rica is turning the corner in its education. This year, 4 out of 5 students taking the high school graduation examinations passed the mathematics portion, traditionally the section that offered them the biggest problem.

In fact, 63 out of every 100 taking the exams passed them, the highest rate in the past dozen years during which scores slipped alarmingly. But math, the mosted feared part, jumped 7.25 percentage points, to 79.23% of those taking the test passing.

The results point to a major effort by teachers and administrators throughout the country for the past decade. And often the exams themselves could be marked down, if not flunked, for faulty questions. For example, 15 questions were tossed this year because of inconsistencies.

Nor were the math questions “dumbed down” this year, according to Deputy Minister of Education Alexandrina Mata who said the exam contained the same proportion of easy medium and difficult questions as in past years.

But not all experts are joining the the back-patting. Edwin Chaves, who heads the School of Mathematics at the National University at Heredia (UNA), worries that Tico high school preparation may not still be good enough. He said UNA only has a 50% pass rate in math classes. And math and science are two subjects important to a country with increasing openings in technology.

by Rod Hughes

President Oscar Arias, in a special ceremony at the Casa Presidencial, announced that from now on, 5% of all job openings in the central government will go to handicapped persons. Civil Service will continue the policy until the overall percentage of workers who are physically challenged, a figure that shows how few of them are currently employed in such work.

Especially invited to the International Handicapped Day ceremony was Legislative Assembly deputy Oscar Lopez who originally proposed the change in hiring policy. This well could be a peace offering to the representative of the minuscule Access without Exclusion Party, who bitterly opposed the passage of the CAFTA free trade treaty with the United States and has stalled the passage of an important immigration bill in congress by throwing amendments in its path.

This will not mean opening new posts but as jobs open, one in 20 will be given to a physically challenged person. This portion of the population has a disproportionate rate of unemployment. With this policy, the government hopes to encourage private enterprise to follow suit, according to Minister of Labor Francisco Morales.

The paper La Nacion today observed the change in Lopez’s attitude toward the president. His opposition to CAFTA led him to acid criticism of the Administration and parties that favored the treaty, criticism that often strayed into the realm of fantasy, such his statement as that increased traffic in transplant organs would endanger the native population.

This time, when Arias complimented him on being at the forefront in the fight for the 400,000 handicapped in this country, he replied, “No let me thank you for permitting me to find myself at the forefront with you. I’m at your service.” To La Nacion, however, he warned that, although the success for the handicapped had been achieved with dialog, “I’m still the same Oscar Lopez.”

Although the new policy applies mostly to the physically handicapped, the intelligence-challenged in the country, as is true with all nations,have never had trouble being elected to public office.

by Rod Hughes

If you do your banking on line, here is a piece of data to chill your blood: Since last November, Internet thieves have raided local bank accounts to the tune of $2.5 million. It’s enough to make you want to keep your money in your mattress.

This figure, published today in the newspaper La Nacion, was compiled by the Fraud Unit of the police (Fuerza Publica). It looks even worse in local currency, 1.3 billion colones. And the victims had their money heisted from accounts both in public and private banks, although the public banks were hit hardest.

One band, now arrested, sacked bank accounts in order to send the money electronically to other banks in such countries as Rumania and Ethiopia, notes Celso Gamboa, the fiscal coordinator for the Fraud Unit. “The banks themselves are secure but it’s the customers whose accounts are raided,” he said.

. Costa Rica’s Attorney General Francisco Dall’Anese is worried that these raiders will steal the Christmas bonuses (alguinaldos) of bank customers whose deposits are at risk. Agents of OIJ, the national equivalent of the FBI or Scotland Yard, detected spy viruses in some e-mails on St. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. “It’s quite possible that they’ll do the same during the holiday seasons,” warned one OIJ agent, “The worst part is that they can hide these viruses in photos or messages sent by people the victims know.”

Since last November, 400 accounts have been sacked by Internet raiders and not one has been indemnified by the banks, Dall’Anese noted. “This is a matter for the civil courts to resolve,” he added.

Dall’Anese recommended changing one’s passwird after every transaction, at least until the account is small enough not to be an attraction to thieves. He also cautioned against making financial transactions via computers in such sites as internet cafes, but to use only a machine protected by an original antivirus program.

Moreover, let only persons of trust use your computer (if it is at work) and be careful what programs and games you download from the Net. They can contain spyware. And, of course, beware of e-mails from unknown sources.