Irish broadcaster RTÉ recently announced plans for four digital channels: a parliamentary channel; 24-hour news; a channel "for pre-school children and young people"; and an "education channel."

An education channel might sound like a worthwhile undertaking for any national public service broadcaster. Disseminating knowledge and developing learning spaces through a dedicated digital channel generally seems like "a good thing." But what specific kinds of knowledge will it focus on? What kind of content can viewers expect (illustrated lectures/case studies/documentary/drama/programmes that set a task)? What's the hidden curriculum? What kinds and levels of interactivity and participation are proposed in this two-way medium? Will it be free and universal? Or pay-per-view or subscription?

RTÉ's record in educational programming is weak. Teilifís Scoile (Television for Schools) in the late 1960s and early 1970s is long abandoned. More recent efforts at home-produced educational content (often in partnership with other institutions), such as its Learnet adult-learning initiative, have been welcome but patchy overall. And on the radio, it has abandoned any pretence of catering for pre-school children or primary-level education. And no, the annual visit to Santa at Christmas doesn't count.

The 'Education channel' tag relies on vague assumptions about teaching and learning, about television's ability to educate and about viewers' capacity to learn. Two decades ago, Umberto Eco wrote that to use TV to teach somebody something, you first have to teach somebody how to use TV. As in many educational situations, it frequently emerges that what instructors think they are teaching may not be what students are learning - especially with television, which is predominantly seen as an entertainment vehicle woven tightly within domestic leisure and lifestyle. Any new education channel needs to take into account not only content but also the wider processes and strategies for teaching, across different social groups and in specific contexts (e.g., the solitary viewer/learner in a domestic space vs a classroom setting).

The Open University has demonstrated the potential of distance learning, using TV, radio, books and other resources in a clearly structured teaching programme. But OU's educational programming has evolved over decades - refining content, developing and expanding strategies and practices to address its student audience's diverse experiences. If RTÉ's plan to have its education channel on stream in 2003 is to succeed, then it should already have begun the vital work of curriculum and content development. Has it?

EU reports on new media consistently repeat the refrain "Content is king," alongside aspirations towards lifelong learning and new forms of literacy - the capacity to work with and through newer multimedia tools - not simply pointing and clicking but in conceptual terms too. All these aspirations require a fundamental rethink about how we use TV to teach. An education channel should be robust, fresh, accessible and stretch the potential of the media and all learners.