Motion:

This House Supports the No Homework Policy Bill or Senate Bill No. 966
GOVERNMENT OPPOSITION
PRIME MINISTER LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
 Definition of Homework- Common  Why institutionalize rather than
homework/assignments may include a create addendum to DepEd Memo?
period of reading to be done and
writing to be completed, problems to Education Secretary Leonor Briones said
be solved and projects to be worked that additional guidelines “will soon be
on, among others. (Department of issued” by the DepEd to have a “clearer
Education Memorandum Circular No. understanding” of its existing policy.
392 s. 2010); additional “research,” or
supplemental work after, and above Briones said the additional guidelines will
and beyond, class lectures, seat be more precise on whatever homework
work, and recitations teachers might impose during weekdays
and on what subjects.
Back in 2009, the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development
(REBUTTAL: Institutionalizing is better
looked at homework hours around the
world and found that there wasn’t much for it to have an effect of a law, which
of a connection between how much the DepEd must provide Implementing
homework students of a particular Rules and Regulations. To implement
country do and how well their students such as law also keeps us away from
score on tests. caprice and whimsicality of the one in
position who can easily change the
 Provision of No Homework Policy Memorandum as compared to law
Bill or Senate Bill No. 966 which its permanency needs another
- aims to limit the homework given law to repeal it).
to students from Kinder to Grade
12 during weekdays and prohibit  Homework hones a student’s ability to
the same on weekends to
be creative, organizational,
safeguard and promote the
welfare of teachers and school responsible and disciplined, as well
children, protect them for as developing good study habits,
conditions that may adversely independent problem-solving skills and
affect their health and their right attitude toward work and working on
to a balanced life, and uphold deadlines. (Positive effect on
equality among students across academic achievement)
different socio-economic
backgrounds; For almost five centuries of the Philippine
educational system, the Filipino child
- apply to both public and private expected, needed, and accepted
primary and secondary schools “homework” or outside-the-classroom
work to supplement what was being
taught in the schools.
- to institutionalize and expand
 Department of Education Unfortunately, they completely overlook
Memorandum Circular No. 392 s. the trade-offs that may be more harmful
2010 which advised teachers to in the long run by eroding the quality of
limit giving of homework to public education, and as a consequence, the
elementary school pupils on future competitiveness of young Filipinos.
weekdays and to refrain from
giving homework on weekends
(REBUTTAL: Not total ban, therefore,
we still recognize the importance of
 SPIRIT OF THE MOTION-
WHY IS THERE A NEED TO LIMIT homework. Likewise, responsibility
THE HOMEWORK FOR and discipline are not only confined in
STUDENTS? accomplishing homework.)

ARGUMENT #1: SAFEGUARD AND

PROMOTE GENERAL WELFARE OF
THE CHILDREN

 Constitutional Basis- Article 2,

Section 13. The State recognizes the
vital role of the youth in nation-
building and shall promote and
protect their physical, moral, spiritual,
intellectual, and social well-being. It
shall inculcate in the youth patriotism
and nationalism, and encourage their
involvement in public and civic
affairs.

 Presidential Decree No.603 or the

Child and Youth Welfare Code
Article 1. The child is one of the most
important assets of the nation. Every
effort should be exerted to promote
his welfare and enhance his
opportunities for useful and happy
life.

Article 11. It shall be the responsibility

of the health, welfare and educational
entities to assist the parents in
looking after the health of a child.

 “By ensuring that they complete all

assignments and projects in school,
the no-homework policy enables our
learners to find balance between their
 academic development and personal
growth by having ample time for
enjoyable activities with family,”
DepEd Secretary said.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER DEPUTY LEADER OF THE

OPPOSITION
Article 2, Section 17. The State shall give  Homework is critical because there is
priority to education, science and specific classroom hours-per-semester
technology, arts, culture, and sports to and coverage of material to be
foster patriotism and nationalism, complied with the DepEd.
accelerate social progress, and promote
total human liberation and The Alliance of Concerned Teachers
development. (ACT) reacted by chastising Congress
to instead focus on reviewing the K
SUPPORTING CONSTITUTIONAL to 12 curriculum. “We are not issuing
BASIS FOR ARGUMENT #1: PROTECT homework to burden our students. It is
THEM FOR CONDITIONS THAT MAY demanded of us by the K to 12
ADVERSELY AFFECT THEIR HEALTH program, so much (so) that our
AND THEIR RIGHT TO A BALANCED performance evaluation system
LIFE ensures its implementation,” ACT was
quoted as saying by Rappler.
24 Hour Cycle:
-8 hours of sleep (REBUTTAL: Homework is only one of
-5-8 hours in school the elements of the K-12 Curriculum.
-8 hours remaining (FOR HOLISTIC Thus, there is no need to reconstruct
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD) K-12 as a whole. If ever revisions will
be made that will affect K-12, K-12 law
RISK TO HEALTH: can still stand alone. More so, K12 as a
1. Clear deprivation of sleep curriculum provides avenue for the
(After doing homework, the brain students to review on the following
does not stop working the moment session what they learned on the first
we start sleeping.) day,.)
2. Burnt out/stressed
(Basically,students are enthusiastic  That is another argument against the
in learning but when homework are “No homework” proposal: the very
too much, they got overwhelmed high teacher-to-student ratio in
and stressed leading to low primary and secondary education.
motivation and quality of output.) DepEd Undersecretary Jesus Mateo
3. Poor eating habits said the teacher-student ratio
(Once stressed, the students either improved from one teacher per 45
skip meals or eat too much students in previous years to 1:31 for
unhealthy food as to finish elementary and senior high school and
workload of homework) 1:36 for junior high school. The current
DepEd parameter limits the students
ARGUMENT #2: UPHOLD EQUALITY to a maximum of 30 per class in
AMONG STUDENTS ACROSS
DIFFERENT SOCIO-ECONOMIC
BACKGROUNDS
CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS
(A) Article 3, Section 1. No person shall
be deprived of life, liberty, or property
without due process of law, nor shall any
person be denied the equal protection
of the laws.
(B) Article 14, Section 2. The State
shall:
(1) Establish, maintain, and support a 
complete, adequate, and integrated
system of education relevant to the
needs of the people and society;
kindergarten, 35 in Grades 1 to 3, and
40 in Grades 5 to 12, but there is
pending legislation that would allow
the class size at 35 to 50 students,
according to a March 29 story of the
Philippine Star.
(REBUTTAL:The need to prioritize
education arises as to entice many to
enter the profession of teaching. The
approval of this bill would give rise to
the need of teachers.)
Most, if not all these students will just
find more time to stay glued to their
gadgets and waste away precious time
on social media.

It’s not just that poor kids are more likely
to skip their homework, or don’t have a
quiet place at home to complete it. It’s
also the case that schools serving poor
kids often don’t assign as much
homework as schools for the rich,
especially private schools, explained
Francesca Borgonovi, one of the authors
of the study, titled “Does Homework
Perpetuate Inequities in Education?”
(REBUTTAL: Responsibility lies with
the parents at home. Section 12,
Article 2 states that the natural and
primary right and duty of parents in
rearing the youth…)
And far from preventing families from
bonding, homework encourages parents
to become more involved in their
children’s educational activities.

STATUS QUO: (REBUTTAL: Again, not total ban.

-Reality speaks of how students respond Department of Education (DepEd)
to homework. Secretary Leonor Briones also backed
the “No Homework Policy”, saying that
Not all student have the environment homework cannot prove the
conducive to learning. Not all have quiet, effectiveness of the country’s
free from distraction, comfortable place to educational system and that there are
study. Tendencies are students will not no guarantees that the kids
be able to comply with the demands of themselves do the assignments at
the given homework due to such realities home.)
and for others who need to help their
families to sustain their financial living,
they need extra time to work for additional
resources.

Likewise, students in the higher class of

society who have the means and extra
time to perform extra-curricular activities,
which will help in their total development,
will be given opportunity as well.

By limiting the requirement of homework

during weekdays, by total banning such
during weekdays, and by ensuring that as
much as possible, academic works are
confined in the school, these provide
equal opportunities for learning as
prescribed by the equal protection clause
of the law. More importantly, the quality
of education must be standardized in a
way that people would not compare the
schools as worst and the best, since all
are performing schools as prescribed by
the Government.

By limiting the required hours for

homework, we are setting standards on
its implementation and how it can be
properly utilized to reach its full efficiency
in order to cater the development of the
children and to serve its purpose in
continuously enhancing the skills learned
by the students inside the classroom.

Clearly, if the teachers were able to

impart the foundation of the lesson inside
the classroom, then the need for practice
and reinforcement would just be minimal.

ARGUMENT #3: STRENGTHEN THE

SOLIDARITY OF FAMILY LIFE (both
students and teachers)

CONSTITUTIONAL BASIS

Article 15,Section 1. The State

recognizes the Filipino family as the
foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it
shall strengthen its solidarity and
actively promote its total development.
Some say students must be spared from
homework so they can get into sports or
get to have more bonding time with their
families.

Thus, time for homework could be

maximized for sports and recreation,
music, leisure, and family or social
bonding. Students, with limited
assignments at home, could have more
time for sleep, which is vital for growing
children and teens, thereby making them
more energized and more productive for
the daily rigors in school.

If you look at the bigger picture, this

policy would not only be beneficial to the
students but also to the teachers who
also have their own families. Most of the
time, it is not only the students who are
bringing home books and homework, but
also the teachers, who needs to evaluate
the output of the students and to prepare
for the lessons the next day for different
sections.

The children do not only occupy the

space in this world to perform their role as
students. Given that the students’
responsibility is to excel in their studies, it
does not tantamount to the numbers of
assignments they need to comply. Their
achievement in school is gauge in
different aspects and the totality of the
students should not only be measured
with their academic performance. The
school must provide different avenues of
growth for students to excel.

GOVERNMENT WHIP OPPOSITION WHIP

REPLY REPLY

As parents in the future…

we want to give the best for our kids but it
must not be confined only in the demands
of school work.

As educators…
They must remember that our main
clientele is our students and how we
could be of help to their development
limiting all possibilities of becoming the
source of stress and lack of motivation to
excel in school.

As students…
They must be responsible enough to
perform the requirements in school.

As children…
They must be regarded as an important
asset of this nation which has lot of
potentials and have the right to a happy
life.

Nothing excessive is good.

Limitations provide opportunities to
other learnings.
Reference:
Cabayan, I.(2019).No to Homework Policy.Retrieved from Journal Online,
https://journal.com.ph/editorial/opinion/no-homework-policy

Hernando-Malipot, M.(2019).DepEd drafting additional guidelines on homework

policy.Retrieved from Manila Bulletin, https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/09/03/deped-
drafting-additional-guidelines-on-homework-policy/

Ylagan,A.H.C.(2019)What, no homework?Retrieved from Business World,

https://www.bworldonline.com/what-no-homework/

‘No homework’ policy is no good.(2019).Retrieved from Manila Times,

https://www.manilatimes.net/2019/08/31/opinion/editorial/no-homework-policy-is-
no-good/608789/

Editorial: Education not purely academic.Retrieved from Sunstar Davao,

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1823062

The Henginer Report.(2015).Study: Homework Matters More in Certain

Countries.Retrieved from US News and World Report,
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/05/study-homework-matters-
more-in-certain-countries