Prepanet: 20 years of online high school education

Prepanet, the Tec de Monterrey’s online education program, which this year is celebrating two decades of existence, already has over 6,500 graduates.

This program has distinguished itself by offering education to the population that, for economic, physical, or social reasons, had found it difficult to complete their high school education.

“I’d like us to look at it (the anniversary) not by time, but by the number of people with whom we’ve interacted and impacted,” said Carlos Bejos, Digital Inclusion Director at the Tec, during the celebration ceremony.

Prepanet began operating in 2004. It’s a Tec initiative that seeks to bridge the inequality gaps in the country by bringing online high school education closer to those who wish to continue their studies.

Currently, it has 2,000 students enrolled, 1,915 tutors carrying out community service and accompanying students, in addition to the aforementioned 6,500 graduates.

Prepanet: A path to innovation

Prepanet began as a proposal to offer the population options for completing high school online.

Felisa González, director of the Center for the Recognition of Human Dignity at the Tec, emphasized that although the idea of an online high school is nothing out of the ordinary nowadays, this wasn’t the case when this program began in 2004.

“The difference is that you (students and graduates) are part of a program that was pioneering in the country at the time, which opened doors and opportunities for young and not-so-young people who had one thing in common: they couldn’t access high school education.”

In this regard, Inés Sáenz Negrete, Vice President of Inclusion, Social Impact, and Sustainability at the institution, remembered those who created this innovative initiative to bring education to more people.

“Let’s remember the leadership of those who dreamed and said: we must have a much bigger impact.”

Pablo Ayala, Director of Social Impact at Tec, recalled that the program’s digital format is the component that makes Prepanet an innovative project accessible to diverse audiences, transforming people’s realities with just one click.

“Opportunities open up, and the desire to be an example, not just at home but in the community, becomes a reality.”

From Prepanet to Leader of Tomorrow

Luis Felipe Marino is one of the country’s youths who saw Prepanet as an opportunity for transformation. Thanks to a scholarship from the Tec in collaboration with Lumen Vitae A.C, he was able to become one of the program’s 6,500 graduates.

After completing Prepanet with honors, Marino decided to go further and applied for the Leaders of Tomorrowscholarship from Tec de Monterrey.

Since 2021, Luis has been one of Tec’s 2,141 Leaders of Tomorrow. Less than a year away from completing his course and graduating with a degree in Engineering Physics, he said:

“These are the programs that allow us to dream of reaching a little further than what we sometimes see as unattainable.”

Besides Luis, there are 22 other Leaders of Tomorrow who are also Prepanet graduates. On this point, Pablo Ayalahighlighted the high growth rate of Prepanet graduates.

“This year (2024) there were over 41,000 applications (to the Leaders of Tomorrow program) of which Prepanet was proportionally the high school that contributed the most Leaders of Tomorrow to this 11th generation.”

The Leaders of Tomorrow program awards students a full scholarship to pursue their degree courses at the Tec for those who exhibit academic excellence and who work to have a positive impact on their community through social initiatives.

Community service at Prepanet

Within Prepanet, the tutors are figures who collaborate in training high school students online.

Marina Sandoval, who has been part of this program for 10 years, began her career at Prepanet in 2013 when, as a Tec student, she was looking for a place to carry out her community service. She achieved this by becoming a tutor for this initiative.

Marina is now the Transversal Community Service Coordinator, and she recalled that she found a passion for servicein the program.

“It was about finding that place where what I want to do can take off (...) From our position as students, seeing how we can contribute to society with what we know.”

Aurora Hernández, a member of staff at the Tec’s Monterrey campus and a Prepanet graduate, was one of the students that Sandoval supported during her studies at the online high school.

“These are the programs that allow us to dream of reaching a little further than what we sometimes see as unattainable.” - Luis Felipe Marino

 

According to Hernández, tutors play a major role during the students’ training process. In her opinion, they’re also impacted by Prepanet without being direct students of the program.

As far as she’s concerned, the online program is a dream machine that allowed her to fulfill her dream of finishing high school. She is currently studying for her degree at Tecmilenio.

“Prepanet has allowed me to achieve those dreams that we all have pending (...) There are many people like myself who don’t have the time to dedicate to ourselves, and doing it online has helped us a great deal.”

Prepanet is a curricular model oriented towards skills development. The educational content is designed by Tec de Monterrey professors and is presented on an innovative online platform, which is supported by tutors who accompany students in their learning.

Once they’ve completed the program, students receive academic validation from the Ministry of Public Education, as well as a high school certificate from Tec de Monterrey and Prepanet.

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