In the northwestern Central Valley town of San Ramón, 15 Traffic Police officers are learning English to better meet the daily challenges of their jobs in a country that attracts mostly English-speaking tourists.
The officers have been taking basic conversational English classes at the University of Costa Rica campus in San Ramón since January, according to the daily La Nación.
Students include transit police from the coffee towns of Grecia, Naranjo and San Ramón as well as other police stationed along the northern
Inter-American Highway.
The Roadway Safety Council (COSEVI), part of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT), is paying for the classes, according to Gerardo Aymerich, financial manager of the Traffic Police.
The 15 were chosen for the classes after being recommended by their bosses because of their demonstrated job commitment.
Project collaborator Marianela Fernández says she sees English as increasingly important with the growing number of foreigners visiting and living in Costa Rica.
She said she hopes to be able to offer intermediate and advanced level classes to these students, as well as start more students at the basic level in the future.
According to La Nación, the English taught in the classes will focus on language police use daily, such as greetings, traffic signals, traffic rules, as well as directions and procedures.
“If the university offers us other levels and the capacity for more officials, we will not disappoint them,” said Marcel Morera, Regional Assistant Director of the Transit Police.
