“The idea behind our approach is to give the students homework that can’t be done in school.

Sarah Mannion, a newly qualified primary school teacher from Galway now teaching in Kildare, says that the current approach to homework is working and is a necessary element of her curriculum. The emphasis is on reform and different approaches instead. Teachers are split on how exactly to address the issue, but an outright ban isn’t something that many seem to support. Exams were highlighted by 65 per cent and school in general at 72 per cent,” says Eoghan Mac Domhnaill from Jigsaw Galway. “One of the top three stressors for adolescents surveyed was homework with 45 per cent of young people highlighting it. A 2019 report carried out by Jigsaw Ireland found the top three sources of stress for young people to be schoolwork. Homework, and schoolwork in general, is one commonly cited by students as being a significant stressor in their life. Rather, they remain the purview of schools. The department insisted that homework levels were not something within its power. The letter called for a range of changes, from reforms to outright bans. The latest manifestation of the debate has been a letter writing campaign by students and parents to Minister for Education Norma Foley. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also weighed in, saying that while he doesn’t support a ban, he thinks there’s “definitely a place for homework, but we need to make sure that there isn’t too much of it.” This answer, given to a rigorous panel of Irish primary school children, sparked a fresh debate on whether a reform of Ireland’s education system was something that should be looked at. People should be able to use their time at home for other creative things.” he told RTE’s News2Day programme. “I think myself, really that the time at school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school. The time after school, he argued, would be better spent on creative pursuits. With the weight of work on the shoulders of Irish students, especially those in their Leaving Cert cycle, it is hard to see any alternative.īut it’s by no means a settled topic, with President Michael D Higgins sparking the latest round of debate.

It’s an experience universal among students past and present alike in Ireland: homework.Īs the school day ends, thousands of students leave for home, knowing that their day is far from finished.Įxercises must be finished, essays written, formulae learned, and oral material rehearsed.

Schools without homework