Are children overwhelmed by homework? Parents and teachers weigh in ...

PARENTS are increasingly concerned about the growing amount of homework assigned to their children, leading to stress and anxiety.

- MONISHKA GOVENDER

Teachers and parents share their perspectives on the impact of excessive homework on pupils’ well-being.

Concerned parents said their children returned home daily from school with increased amounts of homework, leaving them with no time to relax.

One parent said her child was overwhelmed with the quantity of homework, and could not complete the daily tasks.

“My daughter waits for her dad and I to come home to help her. By the time she is finished with her homework, her hands are cramping and she often bursts out crying from exhaustion. She also gets stressed if her work is not completed because she is afraid of being reprimanded by her teachers.

“My husband and I work full-time jobs. By the time we return home, we are exhausted. It becomes difficult to assist the children with their homework, especially my primary school daughter, who receives too much homework for such a young child,” said the concerned mother.

Dawood Marther, a parent and a teacher, said even though he noted the excessive amount of homework his children brought home, he still sympathised with teachers.

“I can’t fully fault the teachers, who receive direction from the Department of Education (DoE) to meet curriculum deadlines. Unfortunately, we are in a generation where our children complain. Instead of compromising, we give in to their complaints.

“We need to deal with our children and not let them guilt us into feeling bad for them. Yes, we have seen an increase in homework, but we need to teach our children time management. We need to motivate them to have schedules in order not to get overwhelmed. I know my children feel overwhelmed at times, but they work through it because the homework has to be done,” said Mather.

Retired teacher, Kumseela Naidoo, who had been in the profession for 33 years, said she saw the amount of homework increase year on year.