HOMEWORK no more?

A bill seeking to establish a no-homework policy for all elementary and junior high schools in the country is now before the Senate.

Under Senate Bill No. 1792 filed by Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr., assigning homework during weekends will be prohibited. 

But if ever students will be tasked to do schoolwork on weekends, this will only be on a voluntary basis. 

According to the bill, homework should only be assigned on weekdays, provided that it shall be “minimal and will not require more than two hours to be completed.”

Too much homework won’t help

Revilla, in his explanatory note, said a 2009 study conducted by The Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment (OECD-PISA) showed that additional time in doing homework has a negligible impact on students’ performance.

The study also found out that there is a connection between more homework and the students’ increased level of anxiety, which leads to low motivation in school work. 

“The productivity and attitude of kids towards education is lowered, which in turn leads to more dropout rates and lesser grades. Relatedly, less homework creates more parent-child time that allows the child to engage in more co-curricular activities,” he said. 

Instead of spending more time completing their homework, children should instead have enough time to rest and relax their mind, which will then increases their capacity to comprehend.

“In view of ensuring the welfare of the learners in this post pandemic era, the immediate approval of this bill is most earnestly sought,” he added. 

The bill also aims to expand the circular issued by the Department of Education (DepEd) in 2010 ,which served as the guideline in assigning homeworks public elementary schools pupils.

The DepEd’s memorandum states that giving of assignments shall be limited to reasonable quantities, and that no homework shall be given during weekends so that pupils will have enough time to rest and to spend quality time with their parents.

In 2019, the DepEd also signified its support for a similar bill filed before the House of Representatives. 

“By ensuring that they complete all assignments and projects in school, the no-homework policy enables our learners to find balance between their academic development and personal growth by having ample time for enjoyable activities with family,” the DepEd said in its 2019 statement. 

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, also in a statement in 2019, said that more than the homework issue, Congress should do a comprehensive assessment and review of the K to 12 program.

“[H]omework has become an inevitable part of teachers’ and students’ work due to the ‘unrealistic’ K12 curriculum,” ACT said.