"Our country faces problems that need greater legislative attention."
"Our country faces problems that need greater legislative attention."
Bills filed in both the Senate and the House of Representatives seek to do away with homework, either completely or during weekends.
House Deputy Speaker Evelina Escudero does not want homework to be given to students from kindergarten to Grade 12. Rep. Alfred Vargas and Senator Grace Poe say no homework should be given to students on weekends. Vargas even went as far as proposing a P50,000 fine on, or imprisonment of one to two years, for teachers who would insist on giving additional work. It’s a good thing he came to his senses and admitted that he had made a mistake.
From the Executive side, the Department of Education has cheered the proposals. Secretary Leonor Briones says all formal school work should be done in, well, school. The idea is to free up the students to spend time with their family and friends.
Tenth grader Andrea agrees. Aside from quality time to spend with her family, she also looks forward to resting more.
But not all students share Andrea’s opinion. For example, Jimmy who is in 11th grade, believes homework is necessary because time at school is not enough to learn everything satisfactorily. “We will also develop discipline,” he says.
And while parents would generally want to spend more time with their children as well and lighten their load, some don’t believe the homework ban is the solution. Lyra Daganzo, mother of two, worries that her son might simply feel lazy at home.
“When they have homework, they become responsible children. They develop self-discipline, honesty and integrity,” she says.
Quezon City high school teacher Rex San Diego asks: “How would students learn time management, prioritization of tasks, and self-discipline? Weekend homework will actually teach families to respect, support, and encourage the academic responsibilities of kids. No homework eventually means more gadget time for the kids of today, being babies and slaves to technology.”
Maria Carmina Sangil, who runs a private school in Bulacan, says homework serves two purposes: To give new knowledge so that students could be ready to participate in class discussions, and to reinforce at home the things they already learned in school.
She makes a distinction between homework given on weekends and during the week. No homework on weekends will allow families to bond, and that’s ok. But during the week, homework is a must: “It’s a big help for children if they are given homework. They will be prepared for class and they will learn whatever it is they have to learn.” A full week without homework altogether would be problematic, she says.
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We are sure the lawmakers behind the bills have the best intentions of students—teachers, too, since they will end up with all the work, correcting, grading and recording these assignments—in mind. They may have also read up on the examples of other countries who require children to do less. Finland, for example, is top of mind—its school days are short, vacations are long, and it does not burden its children with a lot of homework. And yet, the country ranks high globally in math and science aptitude.
An article on geekycamel.com says that Finland’s system works on trust. “Rather than overloading children with work when they are home, Finnish parents trust that the teachers will give the children all the education they need while they are at school.”
That likely goes beyond trusting teachers to trusting the entire educational system in providing holistic academic instruction to effect real learning among students.
The question now is, do we trust our educational system? And even if we do, must there really be a compartmentalization that school time is study time while home time is for all other things?
Millions of Filipinos across several generations grew up viewing homework as a necessary part of their education. With advances in technology and, thus, the availability of other means and venues for learning, isn’t it even more important to see education as happening beyond the walls of the classroom and beyond the usual school hours?
The proposals also infringe on academic freedom—deciding what type of homework to give, or if they should give homework at all, should be made by teachers. Why would teachers unnecessarily burden themselves with homework they would not have the time or energy to check? Teachers, and certainly not politicians, would know how best to make kids learn what they are supposed to learn. Homework is not a tool for torture, but for learning more and learning better.
Homework does instill discipline among children. Out there in the real world, after they graduate, they will see that life is tough. There will be competing priorities, and so little time to accomplish everything they need to do. Doing their homework trains them on deciding which task is more important or more urgent than others, which one requires more effort, and which ones they can plan for and accomplish little by little.
Besides, you can’t really legislate quality time. People will spend their time however way they wish. A family that knows its priorities will find a way to enjoy togetherness while still inspiring diligence and excellence in the children. Conversely, even if students are given a lot of free time, how can the law guarantee that they would not spend it hunched over their devices playing games, or spending hours on social media, or going out to god knows where, much to the detriment of the ideal “family time”?
Our country faces problems that need greater legislative attention. It’s baffling why our officials, given their finite time and energy, would want to meddle with something that seems to have worked well for ages.
