Children’s television is entertaining for kids; there’s no question about that. But are shows like “America’s Funniest Home Videos” or “NBA Inside Stuff” educational?

Believe it or not, many network executives will say yes.

The controversy surrounds the Federal Communication Commission’s requirements that television stations dedicate a certain amount of their time to educational programming, which considering the influence of television on our society, is a good idea in principle. But the FCC’s requirements are vague in wording.

So vague in fact that many stations pass off “America’s Funniest Home Videos” as part of their educational requirement, which is obviously ridiculous.

The problem is not with the television networks. They are in the business to make profits, and in their eyes, educational television is not profitable. This is where the FCC comes in to play. It is the agency’s job to enforce this policy — which so far has proven ineffective.

A new, more specific policy is now under review by FCC officials. It needs to be implemented and maybe more importantly, it needs to be enforced. Networks are capable of producing shows that are profitable and educational. “Beakman’s World” is but one example.

The trouble is, it takes more energy to do this than just running reruns of “Leave it to Beaver,” and calling it educational television. The FCC has a requirement to make sure this doesn’t happen. Otherwise, why even have a policy in the first place?