Telesecundaria : using TV to bring education to rural Mexico

In response to the growing demand for increasingly higher levels of universal education, many countries are searching for cost-effective strategies for increasing access to and improving the quality of secondary schooling in rural areas. For 30 years now, Mexico has addressed rural education demands through a unique and successful TV-based educational program called Telesecundaria. Initially using microwave and now broadcast satellite, this comprehensive program provides a complete package of support to teachers and students in remote rural areas. Particularly notable is the fact that the program has been sustained over a 30-year period, expanding and improving, despite numerous changes in government and administrations. Another distinguishing feature of Telesecundaria is that it is a complete and integrated approach to delivering education at a distance. It is a comprehensive instructional model that enables schools to deliver a complete junior secondary curriculum at costs comparable to those provided in more populated, urban areas. The Telesecundaria model offers policymakers in other countries a cost-effective, viable solution to increasing rural access to a quality secondary education.