EXCESSIVE HOMEWORK FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN

Mr S. Chandra Das asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education whether schoolchildren are being over-pressured by excessive amount of homework and what steps his Ministry is taking to control the amount of homework that is being given to schoolchildren.

Dr Tay Eng Soon (for the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education): Mr Speaker, Sir, a study was conducted in July 1981 by the Ministry on the amount of homework done by school children in Singapore. The average number of hours per week spent on homework were as follows:- Primary School children 6.8 hours Secondary School children 18.5 hours

82% of primary and secondary pupils and 75% of Pre-U pupils considered the amount of homework assigned by their teachers reasonable.

These hours are not excessive by any standard. Comparison with Australian secondary school children which was reported in a survey carried out in Western Australia show that their higher achievers do more homework than ours, namely, 25.7 hours per week against 19.7. The average for poor students is about the same; 16.9 to 19.4 hours for Australians, compared with 18.5 for Singaporeans.

These are the averages. But averages conceal variations. There are children who do much less homework than the average and there are others who do much more. Those who do very much more - thereby causing anxiety in the mind of the Member for Chong Boon - could be of two types. First, they could be the more diligent and ambitious children. Second are children who have to put up with over-ambitious parents.

Nothing need be done about the first group; little can be done about the second.