COVID-19 In Mexico: Local Television Support For A Home Study Program

Photo illustration (Roman Mager / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Mexico's Minister of Education, Esteban Moctezuma, created a home study program that will be broadcast on local television networks. The program will start when entering the new academic year 2020-2011 on August 24 and will be valid during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The plan was conveyed directly by Moctezuma on Monday, 3 August. When giving the announcement, he was accompanied by local television network officials, such as Azteca, Televisa and others. Each student will have access to learning from home without spending a lot of money, like online schools in other countries.

"When the 2020-2021 academic year begins, distance learning becomes a solution," said Moctezuma, quoted by Reuters, Tuesday, August 4.

“We have an obligation to find alternatives to seek answers, so that girls, boys and young people continue to have access to education. The pandemic is one of the greatest challenges of our time, ”he added.

Choosing the option to learn from home via television as a solution is not without reason. Because, before Moctezuma joined the government, he was a senior executive at the Azteca television network. Therefore, Moctezuma understands very well how television can answer the challenges of learning in the midst of a pandemic.

Moreover, it is recorded that around 94 percent of households in Mexico already have television. There are also areas that have not been touched by television signals or internet access, so these areas will uniformly start the new academic year by studying via radio.

Even so, the authorities do not deny the existence of face-to-face learning again in several areas. Which is, when an area has a low transmission rate and is in an area with minimal transmission of COVID-19, face-to-face learning can be carried out. So far Mexico has confirmed 439,046 cases of COVID-19 transmission. Among them, there were 47,746 cases died.