Senator Ramon 'Bong' Revilla Jr. filed a bill in the Senate seeking to establish a no-homework policy for all elementary and junior high schools in the country.
Senate Bill No 1792, or the 'No Homework Act of 2023', aims to 'institutionalize and expand' the existing guidelines on giving homework or assignments to all public elementary school pupils or the Department of Education (DepEd) Memorandum Circular No. 392, s. 2010.
"All elementary and junior high schools in the country shall be prohibited from requiring any homework or assignments to students from Kinder to Grade 12 on weekends," written in Section 4 of the bill.
Citing a 2009 report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Program for International Student Assessment (OECD PISA), additional time invested in homework has an insignificant effect on students' performance.
"Countries that have significantly reduced homework load on students expounds that there is a correlation to assigning more homework to students and increased level of anxiety that leads to low motivation in school work," he wrote in the explanatory note.
Meanwhile, under SB No. 1792, assigning homework will only be allowed during weekdays, which will not require more than two (2) hours to be completed and 'shall be on a voluntary basis'.
