Angara backs DepEd's homework ban

Senator Edgardo Angara, head of the Senate committee on education, said he supports a Department of Education (DepEd) memorandum prohibiting public elementary school teachers from giving their pupils homework to do over the weekend. In an interview, Angara said he has always wondered why the country's school system has a tradition of giving lots of homework to students. "Wala na silang leisure time, free time... anong quality of life ang binibigay sa ating mga kabataan (They have no leisure time, they have no free time. What quality of life are we giving our youth?)" he said. DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Yolanda Quijano explained that Memorandum No. 392 was issued due to several complaints the department is getting over “too many" assignments teachers give their students. Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro said the memorandum will allow pupils and students to spend more quality time with the family, time they would have previously spent on doing homework. The memorandum likewise instructed public elementary school heads to “limit the giving of assignments to a reasonable quantity to give their pupils ample time to rest and relax at home." "Let us give our kids some time to enjoy themselves," said Angara, adding that time spent with family will also allow pupils and students to "sharpen" their interaction skills. The senator noted, however, that the memorandum is bound to face opposition from some sectors. "Lahat ng proposal may opponent... mabuti naman yun para mkita nag weakness (Every proposal has an opponent, but that's a good thing because it will let us see its weakness)," he said. Quijano said the DepEd will monitor the effectiveness of the new memorandum based on public elementary pupils’ study habits. The Senate will conduct a hearing on the proposed 2011 budget of the DepEd on Monday. — LBG, GMANews.TV