How much homework is too much homework? What should it aim to achieve? Is it alright to use the internet to do homework?
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is trying to gauge answers to these questions, through an online feedback form on its website. It has invited principals, teachers, students and other stakeholders from affiliated schools to answer questions and offer suggestions to explore alternatives to homework in classes VI to VIII.
The form notes that while some schools have been giving creative and meaningful assignments, there are many where homework is viewed as a “burdensome activity, by teachers, and a monotonous, time-consuming activity, by students and parents”.
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S. Namasivayam, senior principal, Maharishi Vidya Mandir, said the board has been insisting that schools regulate both book load and homework.
“We retain notebooks of children up to class V and they only carry what is necessary. Students start getting homework only from class VI, and it is a novel idea to get feedback. We have passed on information to parents as well,” he said.
At B.S. Mootha Senior Secondary School, principal Sudha Malini said they reserve homework for weekends or holidays, as both parents work in many instances.
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The form covers aspects such as the time spent, per week, on homework in a subject in each of the classes, the purpose of assigning it, and the marking methodology. It questions stakeholders on how homework aids teaching, and how schools should respond when a child does not complete it. Through this initiative, the board expects to offer suggestions to schools, based on the feedback.