The debate has been ongoing and it seems nothing will stop the argument against homework after school hours. It is reasoned that when the school has taken about eight hours in a day; the remaining hours outside school should be left out for students to have a fresh breath of life outside school.

Students hate the idea of coming back home with a backlog of homework to worry about. More worrisome is a situation where the children are given homework that is outside the context of what has been taught earlier in the day in class. The children battling with such homework sleep late into the night.

When they wake up the following morning to attend classes; they come to school with a carryover of fatigue from the previous night. How can such students concentrate in class? Your guess is as good as mine. They will end up messing up part of the day if not all in school. The stats have not shown that homework is instrumental to the success story of students.

In Finland where the focus is less on homework; the results posted by their students make a mockery of the essence of giving homework to students. Over the years, homework has constituted a pain and a burden to students rather than blessing.

It was said that in the beginning, homework was given as a mark of punishment to students who failed to show seriousness in their studies.  This can be understood because such students will sit up the next time in class to avoid being given the same punishment as the following.

If the above scenario was the original intention of homework, it can be said that it is indeed a way of punishment for students. Stretching the brain beyond some limits is never the best idea because it will be counterproductive. With 8 heavy hours of serious work in the school; the students should be excused from homework after school hours.

The situation is worse for those that are combining work with education. When they come home with homework; then work stops. All their attention will be devoted to completing the homework at the expense of their commitment to the schedule of work.  Indeed, homework is a big headache to students all over the world where the system of education permits and enforces it.

It is argued by some liberal school of thought that it would have been best if an hour were allocated to homework during school hours. It will combine school work into a complete stretch. When students are coming home; they know they are free from the rigors of academics until the following day.

If the opinion of that school of thought is considered and implemented; it will for once bring the two opposing views on homework to a valley where they will meet and agree after years of holding their individual opinions on the subject of homework.

Final thoughts

The idea of homework as it is presently constituted is a punishment to the students.