Costa Rica’s public school system which accounts for nearly a million students is back at work. After a two month vacation teachers and parents made the last minute rush to prepare the students for return to school. Parents looking for items such as pencils, paper notebooks, and uniforms found that there were few bargains to be found. Normally, in provincial areas parents travel to the provincial capital to buy items that brought locally are more expensive but this years increase in bus travel costs and less money to go around, students had to make do with less than before.

President Arias made some remarks about the concern for his citizens economic welfare might force students to abandon school and go to work to help the families make do with the current economic conditions. Arias made the comments at the Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Río Jiménez de Guácimo. It was not clear what his motivations were but many suggest he was upset that the world economic superpowers did not give enough money to the “Programa Avancemos” which offers scholarships to almost 150,000 students. This comment comes on the heels of China fulfilling its pledge to buy $300 million dollars of Costa Rica’s debt. Many writers in the news feel that Arias is positioning himself and Costa Rica for further aid from such countries.

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