Telesecundaria
Encyclopedia
Telesecundaria is a system of distance education
programs for secondary
and high school
students created by the government of Mexico and available in rural areas of the country
as well as Central America
, South America
, Canada
and the United States
via satellite (Solidaridad 1 and Satmex 5).
, Morelos
, Estado de México, Puebla
, Tlaxcala
, Hidalgo, Oaxaca
and the Federal District. The initial number of students was 6 549.
Originally, Telesecundaria transmitted black-and-white live lessons through public television channels but nowadays the lessons have been pre-recorded to ensure higher quality and the image is in color and transmitted via satellite. Content now includes education on values, good habits, skills and aptitudes. By the end of 1993, Telesecundaria was broadcasting to over 9,000 schools in Mexico and serving almost 600,000 students through satellite Morelos II. In 1994, Edusat
was launched, making use of more powerful and advanced satellite (Solidaridad 1) capable of transmitting 24 hours a day and covering more areas.
set, a satellite dish
, a set-top box
and a low noise amplifier.
Telesecundaria broadcasts more than 4,000 television programs on channel 11 of the six channels of Edusat
(Sistema de Televisión Educativa, "Educational Television System") of the Ministry of Public Education
(SEP, Secretaría de Educación Pública) of Mexico to more than 16,000 rural facilities serving more than one million students nationwide. The programs are transmitted daily between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Mexico City
time) and re-transmitted between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays programs pertaining high school
education are transmitted. Programming is complemented with general-interest, continuing education, and other shows about traditions and customs of the states of Mexico
. For educators, audio visual content on each area of knowledge is provided for them, as well as the Experiencias Compartidas ("Shared Experiences") show.
of Education
of Central America
agreed to start experimental projects of Telesecundarias for every country. Since this year, the following countries in Central America are served by Telesecundaria:
Distance education
Distance education or distance learning is a field of education that focuses on teaching methods and technology with the aim of delivering teaching, often on an individual basis, to students who are not physically present in a traditional educational setting such as a classroom...
programs for secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
and high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students created by the government of Mexico and available in rural areas of the country
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
as well as Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via satellite (Solidaridad 1 and Satmex 5).
Background
Telesecundaria was born on the need to service graduates of elementary education in rural areas that were unable to continue their studies for lack of secondary schools in their areas. In 1968 Telesecundaria started at 304 classrooms and a teacher for each one of these in the states of VeracruzVeracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, Morelos
Morelos
Morelos officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 33 municipalities and its capital city is Cuernavaca....
, Estado de México, Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
, Hidalgo, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
and the Federal District. The initial number of students was 6 549.
- Secundaria general – General studies
- Secundaria para trabajadores – for working students
- Secundaria tecnológica industrial – industrial technology
- Secundaria tecnológica agropecuaria – agricultural technology
- Secundaria tecnológica pesquera – fishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
technology
Originally, Telesecundaria transmitted black-and-white live lessons through public television channels but nowadays the lessons have been pre-recorded to ensure higher quality and the image is in color and transmitted via satellite. Content now includes education on values, good habits, skills and aptitudes. By the end of 1993, Telesecundaria was broadcasting to over 9,000 schools in Mexico and serving almost 600,000 students through satellite Morelos II. In 1994, Edusat
Edusat
El Sistema de Televisión Educativa, known commonly by its network name Edusat, is an educational television network implemented by the Ministry of Public Education of Mexico in 1994...
was launched, making use of more powerful and advanced satellite (Solidaridad 1) capable of transmitting 24 hours a day and covering more areas.
Service
Each facility has at least one televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
set, a satellite dish
Satellite dish
A satellite dish is a dish-shaped type of parabolic antenna designed to receive microwaves from communications satellites, which transmit data transmissions or broadcasts, such as satellite television.-Principle of operation:...
, a set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
and a low noise amplifier.
Telesecundaria broadcasts more than 4,000 television programs on channel 11 of the six channels of Edusat
Edusat
El Sistema de Televisión Educativa, known commonly by its network name Edusat, is an educational television network implemented by the Ministry of Public Education of Mexico in 1994...
(Sistema de Televisión Educativa, "Educational Television System") of the Ministry of Public Education
Secretaría de Educación Pública
The Secretaría de Educación Pública is a Mexican federal government authority with Cabinet representation and responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation of national educational policy and school standards in Mexico.Additionally, it has the following responsibilities:*Creation...
(SEP, Secretaría de Educación Pública) of Mexico to more than 16,000 rural facilities serving more than one million students nationwide. The programs are transmitted daily between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
time) and re-transmitted between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays programs pertaining high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
education are transmitted. Programming is complemented with general-interest, continuing education, and other shows about traditions and customs of the states of Mexico
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
. For educators, audio visual content on each area of knowledge is provided for them, as well as the Experiencias Compartidas ("Shared Experiences") show.
Central America
In 1996, the head of the SEP and the ministersMinister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
agreed to start experimental projects of Telesecundarias for every country. Since this year, the following countries in Central America are served by Telesecundaria:
| Country | Schools | Teachers | Students | Groups |
| Telesecundaria Costa Rica | 50 | 117 | 2500 | 120 |
| Telesecundaria El Salvador | 96 | 166 | 5057 | 288 |
| Telesecundaria Guatemala | 384 | 786 | 20564 | 939 |
| Telesecundaria Honduras | 37 | 125 | 3118 | 111 |
| Telesecundaria Panama | 5 | 24 | 367 | 18 |
- Source Ministry of Public Education of Mexico
United States
There are currently pilot programs available in the states of California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Florida.External links
- Telesecundaria at the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations... - Current trends of EdusatEdusatEl Sistema de Televisión Educativa, known commonly by its network name Edusat, is an educational television network implemented by the Ministry of Public Education of Mexico in 1994...
Telesecundaria at Edusat Telesecundaria at the Ministry of Public EducationSecretaría de Educación PúblicaThe Secretaría de Educación Pública is a Mexican federal government authority with Cabinet representation and responsibility for overseeing the development and implementation of national educational policy and school standards in Mexico.Additionally, it has the following responsibilities:*Creation...
(SEP) Telesecundaria at CiberHábitat, the Information TechnologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
for children site of the government of Mexico La Red Edusat y sus contribución a la educación en México y América Latina The Edusat Network and it contribution in the education in Mexico and Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
Telesecundaria in Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
Telesecundaria site of the telesecundarias's teachers of Mexico