Homing in on homework

Many say children's workloads should be made more manageable

By Leow Si Wan & Cheryl Ong
HOUSEWIFE Christine Tan's son spends two hours on homework and online assignments daily - and he is all of seven years old and in Primary 1.

She said of her other son, who is in Primary 4 and attends the same school as his younger brother: 'He spent most of the June holidays doing more than 50 multiple-choice questions for each of his subjects.'

The 45-year-old mum said she supports Education Minister Heng Swee Keat's call for schools to establish a policy on homework.

Mr Heng had urged this of schools at his ministry's workplan seminar last week, saying that schools should look into their students' needs and ascertain the amount of homework to be given at the different levels.

This way, parents can have clearer expectations about this longstanding bone of contention.

Madam Tan is not alone.

About half the 20 parents interviewed by The Straits Times expressed concerns that their children were given too much homework.

While most of those with children in the lower primary levels said they felt the amount should be more manageable, they also expressed worry that the step-up in workload may be too sudden when their children move into the upper primary levels.

Madam Lilis Sim, 39, is one parent who called on schools to calibrate the rate at which homework is increased as the pupils move to higher levels. Her son in Primary 5 became very stressed when he was suddenly given much more homework this year, she said.

Parents also raised the issue of the tight deadlines their children are given to complete assignments.

Madam Tan said: 'Sometimes, teachers give a piece of project work and want children to hand it up the next day. Parents end up doing the work. There are also parents who get tutors to help out.'

Pre-school teacher Serina Cheah, 43, said she hoped that schools would distribute the amount of homework fairly over the course of a week.

She noted that her Primary 5 son has none on some days, but on others, he would be snowed under with half a dozen assignments, all due the next day.

And some of these seem to be pitched above his level as well, she said. 'Some questions are so tough that parents ask one another to find answers. Other questions seem to only test exam techniques, so what are we teaching our children?'

Other parents, such as housewife Selena Kaur, 43, whose daughter is in Primary 3, also want schools to keep to a reasonable homework structure to guard against the children being burnt out.

'The kids are young and tire easily. They don't have time for other interests or to develop other talents,' she said.

Educators interviewed noted that the benchmark for what makes for a suitable amount of homework is subjective.

South View Primary principal Jenny Yeo said: 'In the same class, you can have parents saying different things; one might say 'Too much homework', another might say 'Too little', and some parents add to the workload by sending their children for tuition.'

Some schools are already monitoring the workload of pupils, even before Mr Heng's call for a homework policy.

In South View Primary, teachers note down the homework given for the day, either in a book or on the whiteboard, so the class's other teachers will know how much pupils already have on their plate.

Counsellors say homework stress is one of the most common complaints among schoolchildren here.

Ms Goh Li Shan, a coordinator of Tinkle Friend, a hotline for troubled primary schoolchildren, said the helpline receives more than 500 calls a year about homework- and exam-related stress. This makes up 15 per cent of calls in a year.

Counsellor Raymond Cheong, who runs the Children/Youth Learning & Counselling Clinic, said it is better for children to gain knowledge progressively.

He said: 'Children develop their cognitive abilities in stages. It's important that we nurture in them a desire to learn.'

He said, however, that it is hard to pin down the 'right' amount of homework, as it depends on what the child requires. Balance is important, he said.

'Schools must change their mindset and stop focusing too much on achievements. Children may be good at doing homework, but suffer in other areas such as social skills or aesthetics,' he said.

Corporate trainer Jerry Tan, a father of two girls, one in Primary 2 and the other in Secondary 4, also sees the need for balance when it comes to homework.

He said: 'Homework is not a bad thing. Hard work counts towards success, but we should also remember the well-being of a child. Having so much homework to do that they lose out on their childhood is going too far.'

siwan@sph.com.sg

ongyiern@sph.com.sg
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