After decades of debate, the discussion is still ongoing whether giving homework to students has any benefits. Does giving children homework improve their performance at school? Does it equip them with skills and traits that prove beneficial in adult life? There are some parents and educators who support the practice of giving homework.  However, there are also people who are against this practice and are not in favor of giving students extra work or home assignments.   

Generally, there are no policies concerning the homework issue. In most countries of the world, it is up to the schools whether they want to give homework.  Here are some of the top pros and cons of giving or not giving homework which can help us to pinpoint key points of the debate.

Key Advantages

• Homework develops a sense of responsibility in a child. Finishing a home assignment may be beneficial for a child’s future more than some people may realize. When children get older, enter high school and graduate from universities, a competitive professional environment awaits them. In offices, they have to complete multiple tasks, often against tight deadlines. The sense of responsibility developed in the early days helps them to understand that if they are given a certain task, it should be completed on time. Basically, it helps them develop a strong work ethic.
• Homework is not just about completing the task. It helps the students to develop self-discipline, time management, research-skills and autonomous thinking skills. Timetable must be organized in a way that ensures that all chores must be completed during the day. This does not only help students during their school life but helps them in their future lives as well. Imagine sifting through course loads of presentations and assignments in college. It is your school training that equips you for this.
• Homework creates a communication network between schools, teachers and parents. As, parents rarely glimpse into the school lives of children, similarly teachers rarely see the family lives of their students. Homework works as a bridge that opens lines of communication between all of them. It allows parents to find out their child’s weaknesses and strengths, likewise it helps teachers to understand the needs of their students better. Together, parents and teachers can devise an education plan that encourages the greatest learning outcomes.

Disadvantages

• School is a full-time job for children. Schools normally start at 8 am and end at 2.30 pm. It’s more than 6 hours of studying that a child as young as 4 is putting in his/her education daily. By adding extra-curricular activities and after school programs that both parents and school encourage, a student can easily reach 7 to 8 hours of education in an average day by adding extra homework on top of all of this. It’s quite a lot for any child especially for young kids. Too much work can stifle creativity.
• Some teachers give students a lot of homework assignments knowing quite well that their class and homework is not the only class the students have to worry about. All of this gives rise to stress, frustration and lack of sleep, which is bad for children’s health.   
• Due to abundance of homework, students have less time to socialize and less family time. However, family time is very important and should never be comprised upon.. Moreover, because of having no time to relax, children can develop hatred for a subject due to workload.

In conclusion, homework can help a participant learn responsibility; it is up to the students to set a timetable to do their homework and complete it within the limits given by their teachers. Learning how to do this will help them manage time later in life, develop work ethics and take up professional assignments responsibly. However, excessive work will have the opposite effect.