Affirmative ( No Homework Policy Bill )

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat. Naririto kami para buksan ang inyong mga isipan at kayo’y
kumbinsihin na tayo ay pumabor o sumang ayon sa NO HOMEWORK POLICY. Amin itong
ipaglalaban sapagkat dapat itoy matupad hindi lamang para sa estudyante pati rin sa ating mga
kaguruan.

SENATE BILL NO. 966. OR NO HOMEWORK LAW.

Ayon kay Sen.Grace noong 2015 na itupad ito ngunit ang naipasama lamang ay ang
pagbabawal ng homework. No homework policy on weekends will be applied to both public
and private schools. In the senate bill Poe pointed out that the state is mandated to safeguard
the welfare of teachers and school children.

Rep. Evelina Escudero of sorsogon and Rep. Alfred Vargas of quezon city. Both of them filed
separate measures banning of the giving of homework to students.

The Deped welcomed this no homework policy proposal from lawmakers.

“ we want all formal studying, assignment, project whatever, to be done inside the school’ said
by education secretary Leonor Briones in a radio interview.
In this generation especially teaanagers and millennials. Said by the law makers why they
pushing this bill was “ our primary consideration is the mental, emotional and physical health
of our students who need at least 10 hours of sleep a day for 5 – 10 years old and 8 hurs for 10
– 17 years old . per the national sleep foundation. I believe that the health of our youth should
be given outmost importance so they would be ble to prepare wel for regular school days”
We need that in this generation kasi ang mga kabataan ngayon ay madaling mastress at ma
depress na naglelead ito sa suicide. May mga pagkakataon na kapag may assignment ay
nadadala ito sa bahay at sasabay pa ang mga homework . tayo ay may mga house hold chores
din tayong ginagawa at may mga probelamang pamilya pa na kadalasan ay sa dami ng iniisip at
ginagawa nalelead ito sa mga mental health problems kagaya ng fatigue and insomnia at iba pa.

And specially in this generation ay free access tayo sa google. Yes may homework tayo pero
nowadays lahat ng sagot sinesearch na lang natin sa google, hindi na nagbubuklat ng mga libro
ang kabataan. kaya macoconsider ba na bonding ang pagakaron ng homework na imbes pag
uwi ng bahay ay makakpag relax at pahinga na with the family.
The department of education has expressed its support to the “ no homework policy”
department supports no homework policy proposed by legislators from the the house of
representatives. By ensuring that they complete all assignments and projects in school, he no
homework policy enable our learners to find balance between teir academic development and
personal growth by having a simple time for enjoyable activities with the family.

Difference between Homework and Assignment

Homework is defined as out-of-class tasks assigned to students as an extension or elaboration of
classroom work. It is the school work that a pupil is required to do at home.
Assignment is a task or piece of work assigned to someone as part of a job or course of study.
What, no homework?
The “holistic approach” to child development was the reason for this jack-in-the-box treat for school children:
House Bill (HB) No. 3611 filed by House Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero proposes to remove homework as
a requirement for Kinder to Grade 12 students and prohibit students from taking textbooks home in order to
“lighten their physical burden” and to do academic activities solely within school premises; and HB No. 3883
filed by Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas, which seeks to “promote and protect the physical, moral,
spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being of the youth” and prohibits elementary and high school teachers
from assigning take-home assignments to students for the weekend. Senator Grace Poe filed Senate Bill No.
966 to establish a no-homework policy for all primary and secondary schools in the country, according to a
GMA News report on Aug. 30.

In the wake of instant fury from upset parents and incensed educators, Mr. Vargas clarified on CNN
Philippines’ The Source on Friday last week that the initially imposed P50,000 fine and up to two years of
imprisonment on teachers who violate the policy was “just mistakenly included in the bill.” CNN called it a
“boo-boo.”

It was a boo-hoo-hoo how Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones last Tuesday so readily
expressed support for the lawmakers’ proposal to implement a “no homework” policy among kindergarten to
Grade 12 students in the country. “Lahat ng mga lessons dapat during school hours. After that si parents na…
Para ’yung mga bata naman ay may time mag-bond sa parents o maglaro o just to relax by themselves (All
lessons should be during school hours. After that, the parents are in charge… so that the children have time to
bond with the parents, or play or just relax),” Briones said in a report by Oscar Oida on GMA’s 24 Oras.

Ma’am Briones, your father was a school teacher, and you have always been in academe — at Silliman
University and the University of the Philippines. Surely, in decades of living and breathing education, from
being a student in childhood and youth and through college and doctoral to post-doctoral degrees, and in your
career as a professor (to professor emeritus at UP College of Public Administration) you know that lessons are
not taught just during school hours — how can you reverse yourself on this fact of life about learning?
Homework, or additional “research,” or supplemental work after, and above and beyond, class lectures, seat
work, and recitations are an integral and necessary part of the meticulously calibrated, scientific design of
education, to be guided and controlled by the syllabus and course outlines from basic to secondary school to
collegiate, masteral and doctoral. For almost five centuries of the Philippine educational system, the Filipino
child expected, needed, and accepted “homework” or outside-the-classroom work to supplement what was
being taught in the schools. “Read pages so-and-so as your homework for tomorrow/next meeting” is the
familiar closing remark of almost every teacher/professor to the class.

Homework is critical because there is specific classroom hours-per-semester and coverage of material to be
complied with the DepEd. From experience, the teacher of a one-hour subject with classes held twice or thrice
a week cannot physically comply with the requirements, and thus “extra work” or “make-up” must be
assigned. Besides, the teacher must be able to mark and grade the student by the individually submitted
assignments, aside from quizzes and exams, the latter being too late for both the teacher and the student to
remedy. Recitation cannot go around adequately in a class of 30 to 45 pupils, especially if the pupils were not
assigned “homework” to prepare for the next meeting for that subject.

That is another argument against the “No homework” proposal: the very high teacher-to-student ratio in
primary and secondary education. DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Mateo said the teacher-student ratio improved
from one teacher per 45 students in previous years to 1:31 for elementary and senior high school and 1:36 for
junior high school. The current DepEd parameter limits the students to a maximum of 30 per class in
kindergarten, 35 in Grades 1 to 3, and 40 in Grades 5 to 12, but there is pending legislation that would allow
the class size at 35 to 50 students, according to a March 29 story of the Philippine Star. What perverse logic is
there to “lessen the load” on Filipino students when there is not even enough instruction to them, thanks to the
sorry teacher-to-student ratio, the dire lack of classrooms, and the un-updated textbooks and curriculum?

Some proponents of the no-homework proposal cite Sweden as the model of pupils being taught
comprehensively enough during school hours, and thus no need for homework. But Sweden has a teacher-to-
pupil ratio of 1:11.9 for primary and 1:13 for secondary levels. The US has 1:15.23 and 1:15.9 respectively
(Education Statistics nces.ed.gov/1992) and Singapore has 1:15.2 for total both levels (2017 data.gov.sg 2017).

Now, let’s look at primary and secondary education in Singapore, extolled by the OECD (Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development) in 2014 as having the best educational system in the world. There,
on top of homework, is the tradition of the “after-school program” voluntarily paid for by parents to tutor
children after regular school hours. A 2012 report by the Asian Development Bank and the University of Hong
Kong showed that 97% of all Singaporean students are enrolled in tutoring schools comparatively costing 80%
of regular school tuition. The same drive for better education brings nearly 90% percent of South Korean
primary students and about 85% of Hong Kong senior secondary students to after-school tutoring, according to
the same study.

And here we are, cutting down on the preparation of our young students for life. Mr. Vargas, in proposing HB
3883, cited a 2018 study in South Africa that had argued “that homework is a burden for children and parents,”
has caused the decline of family time, and even undermines learning interest,” according to a Rappler story on
Aug. 28.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) reacted by chastising Congress to instead focus on reviewing the
K to 12 curriculum. “We are not issuing homework to burden our students. It is demanded of us by the K to 12
program, so much (so) that our performance evaluation system ensures its implementation,” ACT was quoted
as saying by Rappler. It is really hard to understand that after young students were meted out two more years
in K to 12 before college, now, the 180-degrees noblesse oblige to lessen their load by no-homework! Of
course, the students will be happy — they will have more time with their gadgets and social media, their
curious minds trying out new and could-be dangerous other things. No, it will probably not be bonding with
family — Mom and Dad are not home from work yet when children come home in the afternoon. Or the
parents are working abroad.

Teacher’s Dignity Coalition said: “Our teachers are trained educators. We know the value of homework. It’s
about discipline, responsibility, and continuity of learning,” quoted Rappler. That captures the exacting trade-
off of no-homework. The molding of principles and values will be retarded with less training in responsibility
and discipline that would have prepared our young students early on for the realities and challenges of adult
life. In basic education, the child is ushered into community life outside the controlled environment of the
home, where, in the classroom there are individual roles, responsibilities and deliverables under supervision
and guidance of an authority who is not a parent. Up the educational ladder, performance is measured and
marked, which builds the instinctive discipline to comply and abide by rules and earn “promotion” by the
quality and quantity of incremental mental, emotional, and physical development in progress. School is a
preparation for a career or profession, not only in terms of the curriculum vitae but in the ingrained values of
discipline and responsibility learned above academics. And even in a job or a practice, there is always
homework and continuing education!

Lawmakers should have done their homework on their dangerous “No-homework” proposal.
Penalty for teachers in ‘no homework’ bill dropped 984SH AR ES

MANILA, Philippines — There will be no penalty for teachers in the proposed measure banning
homework for elementary and secondary students during weekends, its proponent clarified yesterday,
adding that he would still be pushing for the bill.

Quezon City 5th district Rep. Alfred Vargas revealed that he has removed the provision in his House Bill
3883 that imposes a fine of P50,000 and two years of imprisonment for teachers who would violate the
measure once passed.

He said it was a “technical error” that he already corrected earlier this week with the House committee
on basic education and culture, which will deliberate the measure.

Calling it an “honest mistake,” the lawmaker explained that the penalty provision was inadvertently
included as Section 4 in the bill when it was meant for another bill that his office was preparing.

“If you noticed, there were two ‘Section 4’ in the bill. This was the mistake. You are correct, this is not a
crime that needs a penalty. We have already taken action to correct this error,” he stressed.

Vargas has also apologized to the public for such error by his office.

“I sincerely apologize to our people, most especially to our teachers who were affected by our mistake.
The inclusion of the penal clause in our ‘No Homework on Weekends Bill’ was unintentional,” he
lamented.

Still, the lawmaker stressed that he would push for the measure which he believes to be “timely” and
“for the benefits of students, teachers, parents and, above all, our country.”

Vargas told The STAR that the measure will not violate academic freedom as feared by the Teachers’
Dignity Coalition.

“This will not affect academic freedom because we do not intend to change the current education
system or the curriculum being used by our educators and academic requirements by our schools. What
we just want is to reduce the time required of our elementary and high school students for doing
homework,” he pointed out.

He likewise clarified that his proposal will not remove homework in schools altogether, but only on
weekends to allow students to rest.

“Our primary consideration is the mental and physical health of our students who need at least 10 hours
of sleep a day for 5-10 years old and 8 hours for 10-17 years old, per the National Sleep Foundation. I
believe that the health of our youth should be given utmost importance so they would be able to
prepare well for regular school days,” the lawmaker stressed.

Vargas cited the study by Christopher Bermido and Ma. Victoria Carpio, heads of the Central Visayas
Institute Foundation who are Ramon Magsaysay awardees, showing the effects of homework to the
health of students.

He appealed to critics to keep an open mind and consider the benefits of the proposed measure.

A similar proposal, HB 3611, was filed by Sorsogon Rep. and Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero seeking to
ban homework in schools altogether and not just on weekends.
Sen. Grace Poe has filed a counterpart bill in the Senate.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones said she backs the bill as “sometimes it is not the children who do
their homework at home.”

She said the Department of Education has a policy discouraging homework, but there are schools not
following it because of “tradition.”
Statement on the no-homework policy
bills
PASIG CITY, August 28, 2019 – With its issuance of the “Guidelines on Giving Homework or Assignment to All Public Elementary

School Pupils,” otherwise known as DepEd Memorandum No. 392, series 2010, the Department of Education (DepEd) reiterates its

commitment to the holistic development of learners inside and outside the classroom.

The said issuance aims to enable learners to have more quality time with their parents, family, and friends by limiting the

homework/assignment to a reasonable quantity on school days and by eliminating the same during weekends.

It is in this regard that the Department supports the no-homework policy proposed by legislators from 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 Department will further study the other provisions of the bills to determine the repercussions on the current teaching and
learning process.

'No-homework' policy bill filed in Senate

21pm
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Grace Poe filed a Senate bill banning teachers to give homework or
assignments to students on weekends.

The senator authored Senate Bill 966 or the proposed "No Homework Law."

"All primary and secondary schools in the country shall not allow teachers to give any network or assignments
to students from Kinder to Grade 12 on weekends," the bill read.

Under the proposed measure, teachers may only assign homework to students on weekends provided that it be
minimal and will not require more than four hours to be completed.

Poe stressed that the "no homework" policy on weekends will be applied to both public and private schools.

In the Senate bill, Poe pointed out that the state is mandated to safeguard the welfare of teachers and
school children.

Citing a study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Program for
International Student Assessment, the senator noted that additional time spent on homework has a
negligible impact on the performance of students. This is after around four hours of homework in a week.
"Further, it looked at homework hours around the world and found that there wasn't much of a connection
between how much homework students of a particular country do and how well their students score on
tests," the bill read.

Similar proposals have been filed at the House of Representatives earlier this week.

Rep. Evelina Escudero (Sorsogon) and Rep. Alfred Vargas (Quezon City) have filed separate measures
banning the giving of homework to students on weekends.

The DepEd welcomed this no-homework policy proposal from lawmakers.

"We want all formal studying, assignment, project, whatever, to be done inside the school," Education
Secretary Leonor Briones said in a radio interview Tuesday. — Patricia Lourdes Viray

DepEd backs proposed no-homework policy

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 28)— The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday expressed
its support for the proposed “no homework” policy for primary and secondary students, saying that it would help
learners find balance between personal and academic growth.

“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 department said in a statement.

The department also cited the DepEd Memorandum No. 392 series of 2010, which advised teachers to limit
assignments given to students on school days.

The memorandum, signed by then Education Secretary Armin Luistro, also proposed to eliminate homework on
weekends to give students more quality time with their loved ones.

“The Department will further study the other provisions of the bills to determine the repercussions on the current
teaching and learning process,” the statement further read.

Several lawmakers, including Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas and Sorsogon Representative Evelina
Escudero, have filed bills at the lower chamber that proposed a no homework policy for students from kindergarten
to high school.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), meanwhile, noted that the proposed ban may be impossible to
implement under the K-12 curriculum. It added that assignments have been an “inevitable” part of the said program.

“K12 was an experiment that tried to integrate a little bit of everything in a complicated manner, while leaving no
ample time for mastery of subjects and development of critical thinking. Further, the range of topics and
competencies set by the K to 12 curriculum are impossible to cover within formal class hours, resulting to added and
beyond-school hour work for both teachers and students,” the teachers’ group said.

ACT likewise urged Congress to run a “comprehensive assessment and review” of the K-12 program.
Bishop in the Philippines supports banning homework

A bishop in the Philippines is calling for a ban on homework on the weekends, saying children deserve more quality

time with the families.

“Schools should design academic and non-academic program schedules in a way that will not affect family time, and

that includes no assignments on weekends,” said Bishop Roberto Mallari of San Jose, the chairman of the Episcopal

Commission on Catechesis and Catholic Education at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Mallari’s comments came after several lawmakers in Asia’s most Catholic country proposed legislation banning the

practice of giving homework assignments.

“Homework assignments can deprive students and parents precious quality time for rest, relaxation and interaction

after school hours and even on weekends,” said lawmaker Evelina Escudero, who serves as deputy speaker of the

Philippine House of Representatives.

Escudero’s bill would ban homework on all days, limiting all school activities to the campus; two other separate

bills - one originating in the House, the other in the Senate - would only ban homework on the weekends.

The proposed legislation is questioned by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), which said the mandated K -12

curriculum is “impossible to cover within formal class hours.”

Mallari acknowledged CBCPNews that academic life “is necessary to propel success and a good future for young

people,” but added there “are certain limits that school dynamics need to understand and widely consider.”

“Family life is sacred as it creates opportunities for children and their parents to do things together in the name of

holiness, such as sharing stories, playing, celebrating occasions, and attending church, among others,” the bishop

added.

“Learning is not purely academic. Value formation is a central point. And value formation happens significantly at

home as the students learn and realize to be more gi ving, collaborative, and live a life with Jesus and Mary,” he said.

The government is tentatively supporting the legislative proposals.

“We want all formal studying, assignment, project, whatever, to be done inside the school,” Education Secretary

Leonor Briones said last week in a radio interview.

DepEd supports proposed no-homework policy

The proposed bills will help students 'find balance between their academic development and personal growth' and
spend time with their families, says the education department
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has expressed its support for the no-homework
policy bills proposed by lawmakers at the House of Representatives.
DepEd, in a statement released on Wednesday, August 28, said the measures would “enable learners to have more
quality time with their parents, family, and friends by limiting the homework [and] assignment to a reasonable
quantity on school days and by eliminating the same during weekends.”

It said the policy would allow students to “find balance between their academic development and personal growth
by having ample time for enjoyable activities with family.”

House Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero and Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas filed separate bills in
August.

Escudero filed House Bill (HB) No. 3611, which seeks to remove homework as a requirement and have Kinder to
Grade 12 students do academic activities solely within school premises.

“Homework assignments can deprive students and parents [of] precious quality time for rest, relaxation, and
interaction after schools hours and even on weekend,” the bill’s explanatory note reads.

[OPINION] Homework can be pointless

'Homework and learning are not the same thing,' says educator Ronald del Castillo
Homework and learning are not the same thing. When students leave the classroom without homework,
the potential for learning continues. Vocabulary, grammar, and ideas grow when parents and caregivers
have conversations with their children. Cooking reinforces science, math, and reading skills. Eating or
playing together cultivates socioemotional resilience. Homework is a poor substitute for these.

The heat around the no-homework policy will probably cool, like most reactive policies in the country.
But it should be seriously considered.

Finland sets a promising example. Students in the Nordic country have little to no homework, spend
shorter hours in the classroom, and have lengthy school breaks. Young Finns in the Lapland will have
watched the sun not set for 6 weeks by the time their English or Welsh peers get out of school for summer
break. Probably driven by the long and cold winters, Finns celebrate their summers so passionately.

And they still beat the competition. Finn students consistently rank high in science, math, and reading,
according to the Program for International Student Assessment. PISA looks at student performance
among rich member OECD countries and their not-so rich neighbors willing to be scrutinized. Finn
students also report higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of school-related stress.

Those students who spend 60 or more hours on schoolwork score lower in science, math, and reading
compared to those who do the same work in 40 hours, according to PISA. These include hours in and out
of school.

Of course, we are no Finns. Time spent on schoolwork is a poor benchmark of overall quality of
education. But a no-homework, or an alternative “less-homework” policy, could be part of a
comprehensive overhaul of how we cultivate the growth and development of our kids.

Finn students do well because their environment enables doing more with less. For one, forward-looking
governance means education policies are tested with time. Evidenced-based plans are stable and have a
shelf life beyond electoral cycles. Finn students are doing well not only because their educational system
values their future but also because it nurtures everyone else’s future.

Here in the Philippines, policies change as soon as people in positions of power change. We think writing
the policy is the same as giving it a chance to work.

Another is trust in teachers. Whereas our teachers are overburdened with dubious performance checklists,
robotic outcomes-based testing, and other asinine “accountability” measures, Finn teachers have greater
academic freedom. This trust translates to a high-paying, high-status profession.

The low wages, limited school supplies, and poor classroom conditions for Filipino teachers mirror how
little we value them. Teachers here in the country struggle, but we do not care because suffering is partly
our expectation of what it means to be Filipino. We believe suffering is virtuous. And our students suffer
for it – and we probably do not care about this, too.

The no-homework position is not perfect. Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan – where homework and after-
school instruction, or “cram school,” are a blood sport – also rank high in the PISA proficiency tests. And
as it turns out, they outrank Finland.

However, the higher ranking of our 3 Asian neighbors probably has less to do with time spent on
homework. Like Finland, a supportive environment – familial, social, and structural – as well as cultural
values attached to the meaning of learning are linked to why homework and after-school activities are
expected – and not how much is required.
But we are no Singaporeans, Japanese, or Taiwanese, either.

Compulsory basic education here in the country means that many of our kids do attend school. But as any
stressed, sleep-deprived college student would tell you, being physically present in the classroom is not
the same as learning in it. Despite our young population – nearly half of us are under 25 years old – we
fail to maximize this potential. Fewer and fewer Filipinos end up in college and much fewer in
postgraduate training. Many are unemployed or underemployed.

Rankings are also an alluring substitute for student experience but belie the reality. The overwhelming
number of students are not admitted into the so-called selective universities nor are they accepted into the
"top performing" in exams-obsessed programs. For every student that engineers a space probe or
discovers a cancer treatment in snails, millions more are just trying to make it to a classroom with a
decent desk. These rankings are drawn to competitive elitism, not student learning.

New industries require new types of jobs. New competitive jobs require interdisciplinary solutions, which
are natural outgrowths of innovation-capable workers – and the innovation-enabling teachers and mentors
who guide them.

But our educational system is not preparing students for the future. It is shaping the next generation
according to the country’s present – bureaucratic, inequitable, and stifling.

No amount of homework will remedy this skill-demand mismatch. It seems that the potential of the no-
homework policy has nothing to do with homework after all. – Rappler.com

Dr Ronald Del Castillo is professor of psychology, public health, and public policy at the University of
the Philippines-Manila. The views here are his own.

No homework policy para sa kindergarten hanggang high school students ipinanukala

sa Kamara

Dalawang “No homework Policy” ipinanukala sa House of Representatives

 Ang House Bill No. 3611 ay tuluyang magbabawal sa mga homeworks araw-araw
 Ang House bill No. 3883 ay tuwing weekends lang ipatutupad ang no homework policy
Dalawang magkahiwalay na panukalang batas na nagsusulong ng “no homework” policy para sa mga estudyante
mula kindergarten hanggang high school ang inihain sa Kamara.
Layon ng dalawang House bills na ipagbawal ang pagbibigay ng homeworks upang magkaroon ng sapat na panahon
na makapag-bonding ang buong pamilya tuwing pagkatapos umuwi ng mga estudyante galing sa kanilang paaralan.

Sa pamamagitan ng House Bill No. 3611, ipinanukala ni Sorsogon Representative at Deputy House Speaker na si
Evelina Escudero na dapat magpatupad ang Department of Education ng “no homework policy” para sa mga mag-
aaral ng K to 12.

“Homework assignments can deprive students and parents precious quality time for rest, relaxation and interaction
after school hours and even on weekends,” paliwanag ni Rep. Escudero.

Kasama rin sa kanyang panukala na huwag ipauwi sa mga estudyante ang kanilang mga aklat araw-araw dahil may
epekto ito sa kanilang kalusugan.

“No textbooks shall be brought home to prevent the adverse effects of carrying bag to-and-from school,” ayon pa rin
sa House Bill No. 3611.

Kaugnay nito, sinabi sa panukala na dapat siguruhin ng lahat ng basic education schools na bigyan ng sariling locker
ang bawat estudyante kung saan nila maaaring iwanan ang kanilang mga textbooks.

Si Quezon City Representative Alfred Vargas ay may kaparehong panukala – ang House Bill No. 3883, pero ang
isinusulong niyang no homework policy ay tuwing weekend lang.

Binanggit pa ni Rep. Vargas ang isang ginawang pag-aaral sa South Africa noong 2018 na ang homework daw ay
may negatibong epekto sa family life.

Sa ilalim ng panukala niya, papatawan ng multang P50,000 o kul0ng ng hanggang dalawang taon sa mga guro na
lalabag sa no homework policy.
Source :
Inquirer, Abante

‘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.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones recently engaged in a public pitch for the policy, which is now the subject
of a couple of pending bills in Congress. We have a great deal of respect for Secretary Briones’ knowledge and
experience as an educator, and her arguments in favor of the policy should be given careful consideration.
Doing just that, however, leads to the conclusion that a solution other than what she and supportive legislators
are proposing is in order.
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.