Homework during School Holidays

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Education whether his Ministry can implement a policy of not allowing schools to give out homework during school holidays.

Mr Heng Swee Keat: Homework, when used appropriately, can reinforce students' learning, contribute to their progress and cultivate a healthy disposition towards learning. Generally, parents and students appreciate the importance and value of homework. However, the appropriate amount of homework has to be carefully calibrated. Children have varying learning interest and pace of learning, and may take different amount of time to complete the same piece of work. Nevertheless, students and teachers have found homework to be a useful feedback mechanism to check whether students have mastered concepts and skills, and are able to apply them to different contexts.

The school holidays provide a good opportunity for students to consolidate their learning and work on areas which they are weaker in. It would be unwise to completely disallow homework during vacation. Some amount of revision and consolidation of learning during the school holidays can help students to be better prepared for the next stage of learning when the new school term starts. In setting holiday homework, however, schools need to ensure that the homework load given is not excessive. There should be sufficient time for students to take a break from formal learning to pursue other interests, and take part in social-recreational activities with friends and bonding activities with their families during the holiday.

We will continue to work with our schools to better calibrate the homework load according to the needs of their students, and ensure that the amount of homework given during the school holiday is appropriate.

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