‘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.