Eighty new students were received, joining the more than 250 graduates from previous cohorts.
La Universidad Nacional de Rosario held the year-end closing ceremony for the Otra Vuelta Program, the secondary-level educational proposal with a hybrid modality, which the Universidad Nacional de Rosario It was launched in 2022 and is aimed at young people and adults who have dropped out of school.
The event took place in the auditorium of the Faculty of Political Science and International Relations, where 80 students graduated from this innovative program. It's worth noting that this secondary-level distance learning program is the first of its kind within the national university system in our country.
The “Otra Vuelta” Program is an initiative of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario which assumes the commitment to offer an innovative proposal so that young people and adults in the city and the region can access, complete and finish secondary education.
“This program is one of the most beautiful and wonderful things we’ve done in recent years. I want to congratulate the students who are finishing this stage, because you don’t know the example they set for us and the whole world, and how contagious that is. There’s something very challenging about making the decision to return, and not just anyone can do that. They were able to do it, and in that there’s a wonderful message for so many people who believe that a failed trip is a definitive frustration,” commented Rector Franco Bartolacci.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the message conveyed by these life stories amplifies the reach of this initiative and encourages more people to join. "Hopefully, there will be thousands, and we can host those thousands of stories of people who, thanks to what you all have done, have also been inspired and are coming back to resume their secondary education."
Otra Vuelta began with three classrooms in 2022, and today, almost four years after its creation, it has multiplied its efforts and opportunities, offering more than 20 fully virtual classrooms and another 20 located in different parts of the city. Furthermore, this year saw the graduation of the first class of students who completed their entire secondary education within this program.
The 80 students who completed their secondary education this year join the more than 250 graduates from previous cohorts. An additional 450 people are currently participating in the program. “By 2026, we want to redouble our efforts and commitments to welcome more than 250 new students to this UNR program, providing them with the opportunity to begin, complete, and finish their secondary education. I also want to thank everyone who makes it possible for this program to continue growing,” emphasized Carina Gerlero, Head of Academic Affairs at UNR.
Rector Bartolacci emphasized that the Otra Vuelta Program continues to grow despite “the difficult and precarious national budget situation” and praised the work of the UNR's Academic and Learning Area for “putting all their effort and dedication into ensuring everything continues to function.” “The University is working tirelessly to support all the initiatives necessary to fulfill the role of public education. Every day we welcome young people to our university, individuals who join one of its programs, with their fears, their desires, and their uncertainties. At the same time, every day we award diplomas that certify that the dreams these young men and women entrusted to us have been fulfilled. We believe that the University is much more than the training of professionals, and above all, that the UNR is much more than just a university, because we believe that education is what changes our lives, saves us, and transforms us forever, both individually and collectively.”
Currently, the Otra Vuelta program has classrooms in the Parque del Mercado, CMD Oeste, CMD Noroeste, UNR Government Headquarters and Asociación Civil Perspectivas, Centro Cuidar Las Flores Sur, UNR Sarmiento and Córdoba Headquarters, the Casa de la Cultura Castagnetto and the Vecinal Islas Malvinas.
Looking ahead to 2026, the program aims to continue expanding its reach and strengthening its presence, with the goal of generating more educational opportunities and supporting an increasing number of people in realizing their right to complete secondary education, transforming personal trajectories and opening up new possibilities for the future.
Journalist: Gonzalo J. García / Photographer: Karen Roeschlin