Solon files bill imposing “no-homework policy”

CEBU, Philippines — A partylist lawmaker is pushing for a legislation that will impose the “no-homework policy” in all primary and secondary schools in the country.

In House Bill 8243, Tutol To Win partylist Rep. Sam Verzosa said “there is very little, if any evidence that time spent on home work in most subject areas has a positive effect on the achievement” of students, citing various publications.

Verzosa noted that that based on the World Population Review, the Philippines ranked 111th of 199 countries, with an average IQ of 81.64.  This is far from the global average IQ of a person which is 100.

Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reported in 2018 assessment, the Philippines scored the lowest in Reading and second lowest in Science and Mathematics.2

On the other hand, the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) stated that the country still has “high attendance rates at all levels of the education system compared to countries of similar development state.”

Verzosa added the finding could be interpreted to mean that an “average Filipino student spent more time in school but less productively than their counterparts in comparator countries.”

The bill indicated means the country needs to increase the learning productivity in school and reduce homework.

The lawmaker also cautioned that having too much homework causes stress and physical health problems.

He cited having too much homework can also be a factor why, according to Department of Education, the country has had 404 cases of suicide and 2,147 attempted suicides by students in the last school year.

“The optimal amount of time to spend on homework is 90-100 minutes daily and once that threshold is passed, the time spent and the amount of homework stopped being effective and end up being detrimental,” the bill stated.

But the measure underscored that “the most effective is not always the most efficient.”

“Around one hour a day of homework seems to be sufficient time to achieve satisfactory results,” it stated.

“There is also a disparity between the rich and the poor when it comes to doing homework. Kids from wealthier homes are more likely to have resources such as computers, internet connections, dedicated areas to do schoolwork and parents who tend to be more educated and more available to help them with their homework,” the bill stipulated

On the other hand, children from disadvantaged homes are more likely to work at after school jobs, or to be home without supervision in the evenings, taking care of their siblings while their parents work multiple jobs.

It further stated that adding homework into the mix “is one more thing to deal with - and if the student is struggling, the task of completing homework can be too much to consider at the end of an already long school.” — (FREEMAN)