When educational television programmes were launched in the 1970s, they were a new and innovative method of complementing the formal school curriculum. ETV programmes also made a change from the traditional chalk and blackboard method of teaching and were welcomed by both teachers and students.
But with the growth of video-cassette recorders, personal computers, video compact discs and the Internet over the past three decades, the practice of herding students in front of TV sets to watch programmes broadcast at fixed times has become distinctly out of place.
Teenagers now have access to a wide range of audio-visual learning aids which are interactive, colourful and fun to play with, and they no longer find the uni-directional ETV programmes stimulating. The Education Department has taken the right decision in phasing out ETV programmes for secondary students by 2003.
But given that it reaches into almost every household, television still has a role to play in education. Officials have made a good start in identifying pre-school children, parents and elderly people as new targets of educational programmes. These are groups that spend much of their time watching television. Quality programmes can help broaden their horizons and enrich their lives.
Television also has a role to play in helping adults acquire the new skills and knowledge they will need to have to compete in an ever-changing job market. Continuing education and life-long learning have become buzz words, and educational television can become a major conduit for adult learning. Television can also be used to help people learn English and Putonghua, the two languages in which they will need to be increasingly proficient.