Ever wondered how much better life would be without the spectre of homework hanging over your head each evening? Homework that needs to be completed come what may, homework that must be submitted to your class teacher even if it means missing out on a day-night India-Pakistan match? We?re sure you?ve wondered often enough. So on behalf of all you hapless students who have to wrestle with tonnes of study tasks after a hard day at school, here?s a wish ? let that hateful exercise called homework be consigned to the trashheap of history this coming year.

Before parents haul us over the coals for inciting rebellion among students, let?s make one thing clear. We are not anti-studies. No way. By rooting for the abolition of homework, we are not implying that students stop studying and revising at home. It?s just that we would like children to be free from this mandatory daily burden that kills initiative, breeds rote learning, cuts back drastically on playtime and makes a youngster?s life one of unending drudgery.

And really, we?re not the only ones saying it. CBSE has come out with a set of guidelines that proposes to abolish homework up to Class IV. Let?s hope other boards will hear the clarion call and implement similar reforms to their school system in the coming year. And indeed, extend the concept to higher classes as well.

Most teachers agree that homework is a bad idea, at least for students of junior classes. Says T.H Ireland, principal, St James School, ?Homework is not necessary if classes are taken regularly. It only adds to the pressure which children often find difficult to handle. The concept of homework is dated and has no place in the modern system of teaching.?

The other inescapable fact about homework is that it is often an exercise in futility. All too often, a student gets his or her work exercises done by a parent or a private tutor. Appearances are maintained, the charade goes on and the student absorbs nothing. Admits Siddharth Bhandari, a student of Class IX, St James School, ?Many of us do get our homework done by tutors and parents. We all know that.?

The new age schools have found a novel way of dealing with the problem of homework. They have brought it under the ambit of schoolwork. For instance, Heritage School, which is a day boarding school, allots one hour at school to do the ?homework?. Principal Meenakshi Atal remarks, ?Junior schools definitely ought to do away with it. Even at the senior level, we only give weekend homework.?

Some teachers do feel that homework serves a salutary purpose, especially in middle and senior school. Says Mukta Nain, principal of Birla High School, ?The concept cannot be applied to higher classes. From Class VI onwards there has to be some kind of reinforcement of what students learn in the school.?

Strangely, parents often come out in support of homework. As Ireland remarks, ?They believe that it will keep the children from watching too much television. But then, it is the responsibility of the parents to keep their children suitably occupied. Burdening them with extra work is not the answer.?

CBSE to the rescue

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has taken a bold step by banning homework in junior schools from the academic year 2004-2005. The initiative aims at doing away with conventional homework and giving students alternative exercises instead. The guidelines also suggest no exams for classes I and II, and a system of continuous evaluation for classes III to V with the focus on experimental learning. This is a laudable effort on the part of CBSE to provide stress-free education especially in the formative years of classes I-V.

Schools like St James in Calcutta have already done away with homework. Says principal T.H. Ireland, ?Other than project work which needs to be done at home, there are very few things that cannot be completed at school.?

The ICSE board has no official policy on homework. It prefers to keep it flexible and has left it to the schools to decide for themselves. So, while some ICSE schools have done away with it, others are still carrying on. Modern High School for Girls, for instance, believes in homework. ?Some amount of homework is necessary for preparation and discipline. There is a set of directions on homework given to us which is not binding. However, we do make sure that students are not unnecessarily burdened with it,? says principal Devi Kar.