Teletext, or broadcast teletext, is (was) a standard for displaying text and rudimentary graphics on suitably equipped television sets. Teletext sends data in the broadcast signal, hidden in the invisible vertical blanking interval area at the top and bottom of the screen. Britain and Germany lead the way in the use of this pre-internet digital information service.
The French equivalent was much more sophisticated and used dedicated terminals for two-way communication. Minitel, as it was known could be used for booking public transport tickets, flights reservation and even distributing school homework.
As usual the British government chose to ignore this superior implementation and opt for a more commercially driven, dimwitted equivalent. While the citizens of municipalities across France enjoyed access to free 24/7 learning resources, Brits browsed Teletext to find 'Hot' chat party lines to call into (at premium rates). The most popular pages on Oracle or Ceefax were considered to be the television schedule and sports results. The concept of education via teletext in the UK was just not a thing.