"Sineskwela", "Hirayamanawari", "Bayani", "Epol Apple", "Math-tinik," "Batibot,"---do these names ring a bell to you? If it does, that makes you a certified Batang 90s who grew up watching these iconic educational shows! Learning about Science, History, English, Math, and Values Education was easier during those good old days.  

(Read more: Nostalgic Filipino TV Shows Millennials Surely Miss)

Nowadays, children have more access to educational shows, thanks to the internet and social media. But adult supervision is still needed. There have been reports of “Peppa Pig” cartoon series on Youtube that look seemingly ordinary, but if one views them, it contains gory and disturbing scenes. Not everything "for kids" is actually for kids, and parents should take caution on choosing the right shows for their children. It's important to filter online content, so children can be protected from unwanted videos.

How do we compare educational shows for children then and now? Let’s see the difference.

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Before, educational shows had a definite schedule. You’re lucky if your class is scheduled in the afternoons because Pinoy educational shows were usually shown in the morning at our local channels.  This is a good motivation for kids to wake up early and do their morning rituals so that they can tune in time for their favorite show.  In the case of Hirayamanawari and Bayani, these shows were aired on a Saturday morning, so these shows will have more viewers.

Today, we have cable channels, so there are more choices to watch. Not only that, but we also have Youtube and websites like Knowledge Channel, which caters to grade levels from Kindergarten up to high school levels. These videos can be watched at any time of the day or night. Still, children should know the time limit in watching videos, so they can rest their eyes and have time for other things.

Choices were limited if you don’t have a cable subscription. Despite this, children of the 90s were treated to a good variety of shows, from the Tagalog-dubbed anime series to our very own educational shows. We did not have the internet back then, but we grew up with these fond memories of our favorite shows.

In this modern-day, we have a wide variety of Youtube channels and other streaming sites we can choose from. Again, parents should check the quality of these shows before showing it to their children, especially for toddlers and preschool age. It should always be quality over quantity.

Local educational shows were done by live actors. Some are puppets or mascots, as with the case of Pong Pagong (a mascot) and Kiko Matsing (a puppet) in Batibot. This makes it more relatable to children, especially when the topic is about positive Pinoy values.

At present, we still have to wait for a modern-day counterpart to beloved shows like Batibot and ATBP (Awit, Titik, at Bilang Pambata). It’s high time we do a remake of one of these shows or come up with another one that can make learning more fun for our youngsters.

Here are just some small observations of available educational shows then and now. Social media is more prevalent now over TV and has the power to mold the minds of these children. With this in mind, we hope that networks will come up with kid-friendly shows that can help them learn and grow.