Too much homework kills the joy of learning

SERIOUS approaches are not being taken to reduce the workload of students. Thus, we hear parents lamenting about how they see their children slogging away to finish their homework. There is simply no time for them to play or relax anymore. Even ministers are urging schools to reduce the homework for students. Sad to say, this has fallen on deaf ears.

There are ways the Education Minister can resolve this problem.

1) Get the school administrators to send to the ministry a list of books that students are required to buy. The more books students are told to buy, the more homework there will be, for sure.

The Education Minister can go through the list and suggest cutting

down the number of unnecessary books.

2) Limit the number of days for extra tuition. In many schools, especially Chinese schools, tuition is held after school hours in the bid to produce more 8As students to meet their performance target (prestasi).

I suggest the Education Minister limit this to three days. Fewer tuition days would lead to less homework and fewer books for them to take to school.

I hope something can be done immediately so that our children can go to school happily. Education should be fun!

CHRISTINE LIM

Penang