SANTIAGO : Back to School

As the Southern Hemisphere summer reaches its final days, a new school year begins this week in many South American countries and the pace of national life is picking up. It’s adios to sizzling seasonal weather, half-empty offices, daylight-saving time, family travels and beach vacations.

Summer resorts are emptying out. Rio de Janeiro has recovered from the hangover left by last week’s carnival celebrations. Buenos Aires, Santiago, Sao Paulo and other metropolitan centers are returning to their normal, supercongested conditions.

And public schools in much of South America once again face longtime problems of overcrowded classrooms, underpaid teachers and administrative inefficiency. In some countries, notably Argentina, teacher strike movements already are threatening to disrupt the new school year.