“NO HOMEWORK” policy is no good

WE do not agree with the position of the Department of Education

(DepEd) that a “no homework” policy, prohibiting teachers from
assigning academic work to be completed by students outside of
regular school hours, is beneficial to Filipino students. The
arguments for a “no homework” policy ostensibly take into
account the welfare of students, their families and teachers.
Excessive homework — or to state the argument more accurately,
any homework at all — is physically taxing on students, many of
them very young, after they have already spent a full strenuous
day in the classroom.

Projects that students are expected to complete at home often

pose a burdensome expense on parents, who may not have a
ready budget for the last-minute purchase of needed materials.
Assigning homework also adds to the workload of teachers, who
must grade these assignments in addition to their everyday work
of preparing lessons. By banning homework, all these problems
are avoided. Students are afforded proper time for rest and
relaxation, and families are spared the burden of unforeseen
expenses, or time spent shopping for required materials that may
be difficult to find on short notice. Teachers are also spared the
extra time and effort to check homework assignments, and can
devote more time to classroom preparation and work. Secretary
Briones has also suggested the policy would be beneficial in
allowing more time for children and parents to bond socially.
Those are all very reasonable considerations. Unfortunately, they
completely overlook the trade-offs that may be more harmful in
the long run by eroding the quality of education, and as a
consequence, the future competitiveness of young Filipinos.
Homework is a vital part of education, because it gives students
the opportunity to apply knowledge gained in the classroom. This
occurs in two ways — not only by creatively applying the
educational content, but also in giving students practice in
developing good work habits and methods. From a practical point
of view, homework allows “more education” than can be fit into a
few hours of a school day. And far from preventing families from
bonding, homework encourages parents to become more involved
in their children’s educational activities. Although the concern
for the welfare of students and their families is appropriate, that
welfare will be hurt in the long run if the students fall short of the
volume of educational content they can access, developing
problem-solving and creative thinking skills, and parental
awareness and involvement in their educational activities. As a
result of a “no homework” policy, Filipino students will be less
prepared for higher education or the workforce, and ultimately
the entire country will suffer the consequences.

We suggest that, rather than a “no homework” policy, DepEd

should review and modify existing policies regarding homework
to ensure that they meet productive goals. Homework should
have clear educational objectives, and certainly should not pose
undue physical and financial burdens on students and their
families. Those standards can be achieved, however, without
resorting to banning homework entirely, and still ensure that
our youth are adequately prepared to take on the challenges of
a competitive world
Suicide Prevention