Volume 9, number 4, of the scientific journal Centro Sur, with eISSN: 2600-5743, presents a collection of articles addressing contemporary challenges in various areas. The publication includes an analysis of the effectiveness of Ecuador's public policies on access to higher education, highlighting regulatory progress and persistent structural limitations. In the legal sphere, it examines the Action for Protection as a jurisdictional guarantee to protect freedom of worship in Ecuador, demonstrating its effectiveness in redressing violated rights. On the other hand, a diagnostic study focuses on the conceptual and procedural difficulties and high anxiety of first-year mathematics students in learning probability and statistics. In a more technological context, the volume exposes how seemingly harmless mobile applications can become a digital “Trojan horse,” detailing the abuse of permissions and social engineering techniques in banking malware. Finally, an article evaluates gamification with Educaplay to transform and enhance logical-mathematical skills in fifth-grade students, reporting significant advances in academic performance.