Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. has filed a measure seeking a no-homework policy in elementary and junior high school, saying take-home assignments lower the productivity and attitude of learners toward education, which in turn leads to more dropout rates and lesser grades.
Under Senate Bill No 1792 or the “No Homework Act of 2023,” there will be no mandatory homework or assignment on weekends, and will only be allowed on weekdays. Also, the homework will only have to be minimal and should not require more than two hours to be completed, and on a voluntary basis.
Revilla said less homework gives parents more time with their children, allowing the latter to engage in more co-curricular activities.
He said that a 2009 study conducted by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment (OECD PISA) found that the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on a student’s performance.
“Countries that have significantly reduced homework load on students expounds that there is a correlation between assigning more homework to students and increased level of anxiety that leads to low motivation in school work. The additional time allows the children to relax their mind, and increases their ability to better grasp concepts,“ Revilla said in his explanatory note.
The bills, according to Revilla, aim to institutionalize and expand the Department of Education (DepEd) Memorandum Circular No. 392, s. 2010, which provides guidelines on giving homework to all public elementary school pupils.
The circular is in response to concerns from parents regarding the amount of time pupils consume in accomplishing their homework, instead of having enjoyable and quality time with their families.
