"El Chavo del Ocho", a character made famous by Mexican comedian Roberto Gómez Bolaños will become an English teacher through an app, according to news agency EFE.
The app called "Learn English with El Chavo" is directed towards Hispanic children living in the United States, who have had low academic performance due to not knowing English very well.
Mexico's Televisa Foundation is responsible for the launch of the app, which will be completely free, and was created by English teachers that designed the program for children, using the main character of the famous TV show "La Vecindad del Chavo del Ocho".
Alejandro Villanueva, director of Televisa Foundation explained that currently there are close to 5.5 million children that don't speak English, of which 75% are Hispanic.
"We understand that many, when they get to the United States, see that cellphones are a good way to connect with their homes, and that's why they try to have a good cellphone", quotes the news agency.
The director of the Mexican foundation said that its work is directed towards younger people getting ready to enter a higher level of studies.
"All our work is focused on the Latino youth having the necessary tools to be successful in college".
According to EFE, the Pew Hispanic Center reports that many Latino students drop out of college, which is why Villanueva highlighted that this new strategy will help Hispanic students finish their college studies in the United States.
Televisa Foundation uploaded a video of the first animated English lessons on YouTube, approximately 10 minutes long. The first videos teach letters and numbers in English.
"Learn English with El Chavo" can be downloaded from the website "Aprende con El Chavo".
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