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Should homework be abolished?
The debate that whether homework should be abolished or not has been going on for time immemorial. There are both sides to the issue. To find out what most people thought, I conducted a sort of survey. You can judge for yourself which side you are on, as I am giving both sides of the picture.
Most people I surveyed said that homework can be a lot of stress after you spend countless hours at school or college, and one wants to relax and not start studying right after you come home. Take the example of a student in class fifth, who said that all her time went into completing homework, and worse still, incomplete class work is also given as homework — not fair.
Haya, a MBA student, had similar views. Although she admitted that university ‘homework’ is mainly research and preparation for tests, she recalls her days as an O/A level student. ‘I always loved studying but especially in ‘O’ levels I would have tons of homework to do. I had no time to go out with friends, watch a movie with the family or even go to the parlour!’ she chuckles. And the writer of this article absolutely agrees!
Homework is geared towards the revision and practice of what we learn at school or college or university. It is there to test us and help us apply our knowledge and understanding of specific concepts to exercises designed for that purpose. When the teachers see the homework handed in they know that the student has made the effort to review what was studied in the class, and can ensure that topics are taught and grasped well. A maths teacher was very generous in saying that although homework in subjects like maths, accounts etc. is always a lot, these are subjects which fall at the mercy of the ‘practice makes perfect’ cliché.
But in this age when students say ‘no one is perfect, so why practise?’ it is not easy to convince us, right? I still remember my ‘O’ levels days when I was caught up with 12 subjects; there was the constant pressure of getting the best of results. But that hardly left me any time to watch TV, or go shopping, let alone read at the pace I once used to. Even writing for the magazine was no easy task! I did end up getting great results, so looking back the effort seems worth it. In ‘A’ levels, there is lesser homework but more self effort is required which doesn’t make it any easier!
Ahmed, a college student, said that homework is no doubt good for students and for sharpening their skills, but there should be time for extra-curricular activities. It is a fact that as you climb up the academic ladder, pressure mounts and the days of playing cricket on the street, going to the new posh restaurant or chatting on msn up to midnight fade away. I’m sure most of you would agree that ‘all work and no play makes jack a dull boy’ — yes it does. Most students had no problem with homework itself but the amount of homework they are assigned.
Of course, if a student says that homework culture is not the sweetest thing on earth, it does not mean they don’t want to study. No one can deny the importance of homework and the role it plays in a student’s life, be it a school or a university student.
But sports, movies, going out, reading the newspaper and other books, and spending time with family are essential for the development of an individual. Forcing students to make notes or do fifty maths sums a day is not too helpful since, as one of my friends pointed out, students get so exhausted they tune in to TV while they do it. Surely no one would understand logarithms when Friends is on?
Being punctual does not help much. With exams every three to five months, students have no time to regroup. I don’t think students are being educated well enough if they have no time to read the newspaper and end up as mere bookworms. In my opinion, homework should not be too much even though in some modes it is necessary to complete the syllabus in time. Homework needs to be research-oriented so as to sustain the students’ interest, and at least on weekends students should be given time to move away from studies and indulge in other activities. Students should be encouraged to read news and business and technology related magazines and watch TV shows which will help enhance their knowledge and understanding of the present world. Now that is what really helps. It makes students intelligent and not just ‘textbook-smart’.
Homework cannot be dismissed outright. It is the only way teachers and parents know that you are not neglecting your studies. But if the above suggestions are considered, many students would have no complaints. Education aims at grooming one’s personality through not only knowledge, but also understanding and experience, and through observation and exploration as they broaden their horizon of knowledge, so students need to be given their time and space. I hope our teachers and parents would realise that!
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