Is homework really beneficial for children?

“By the time a child finishes homework, has dinner, and goes to bed, it’s often well past 10 pm,” Ms Museveni observes. “This daily cycle, unknown to parents and teachers, is eroding the mental, physical, and spiritual health of these young individuals.”

Ms Museveni underscores that children under 18 require eight to 10 hours of sleep, as recommended by scientists. Insufficient sleep, she argues, not only undermines academic performance but is also linked to broader health issues such as obesity, depression, and chronic stress. This concern is not unique to Uganda. Countries such as India and Rwanda have already banned homework for younger learners, recognising its potential harms. Yet, in Uganda, homework often begins as early as kindergarten, escalating to six or more pages nightly by Primary One, with weekend assignments sometimes exceeding 10 pages of math problems, science exercises, and social studies tasks.

Nuliat Nanziri, a mother of two primary school-going children, reflects on the pressure homework places on families: “As a parent, you see the weight of the workload, but you encourage your children to push through because you feel obligated to support what their teachers expect. We have been conditioned to believe that homework is essential for our children’s success.”

But is this belief grounded in evidence? A growing body of research suggests that the benefits of homework may be far less significant, and far more complicated, than many assume.

What research reveals

Etta Kralovec, professor emerita at the University of Arizona and author of The End of Homework and Schools That Do Too Much, challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding homework. “Homework is often touted as a way to develop time management, self-discipline, and organisational skills,” she says. “Yet, there is no concrete evidence that homework actually fosters or reinforces these skills.” Kralovec is not alone in her skepticism.

Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, has found that homework is a major source of stress for many students, often leading to burnout and negatively impacting academic performance.

“The students who excel in homework-heavy environments are often those who already have the resources, support, and intrinsic motivation to succeed,” she explains. “Homework, in this sense, may simply be a marker of privilege rather than a driver of achievement.”

The hidden costs of homework

Beyond its questionable academic benefits, homework carries significant social and emotional costs. It consumes time that could be spent on more meaningful family activities, such as reading together, playing or simply engaging in conversation. It can also strain parent-child relationships by casting parents in the role of teacher; a dynamic that can be particularly fraught if the child already finds schoolwork stressful. Nanziri admits that there are times when she struggles to assist her children with their homework, as academics were never her forte.

Moreover, excessive homework can limit a child’s participation in extracurricular activities, which are crucial for developing creativity, teamwork, and resilience. Children, as adults, perform better when they have adequate outlets for stress, such as exercise, leisure, or unstructured play. A groundbreaking educational programme in Vanves, France, initiated in 1950, demonstrated that shortening classroom hours and extending physical education led to improved academic achievement. This suggests that academic success is not solely dependent on hours spent on homework but is also influenced by a child’s overall well-being and engagement with the world beyond the classroom.

Furthermore, a study by Mollie Galloway, Jerusha Conner, and Denise Pope found that students overwhelmed with homework were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills.” These findings raise an important question: Are we sacrificing the holistic development of children in pursuit of narrowly defined academic goals?

The inequity of homework

One of the most pressing concerns about homework is its role in perpetuating inequity. Not all learners have access to a quiet, well-lit space to work at home. Many parents are unavailable in the afternoons and evenings due to work commitments, leaving older children to care for younger siblings or prepare meals. Augustus Opio a father of four primary school children says, he works late and is never home to help his children with their homework. “Sometimes when I cannot be there and my wife is stuck in jam, I encourage them to use the internet but we do not have reliable internet access, making it impossible for them to use that option,” he says. Since homework often contributes to a student’s overall grade, those with less conducive home environments may struggle to maintain high academic performance. Kralovec describes this as “a system of homework that further advantages privileged learners.”

This inequity is not merely a matter of academic performance; it also has long-term implications for social mobility. Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, who may already face systemic barriers to education, are further marginalised by homework practices that assume a level of resources and support they do not have. As such, homework can inadvertently reinforce existing social hierarchies rather than serving as a tool for empowerment.

Rethinking success

For Nuliat Nanziri, the toll of homework on her children is deeply personal. “Homework sends my children into a nightly spiral. To them, the work feels endless, and they constantly feel as if they are falling short. It is heartbreaking to see them dread going to school,” she says. “I appeal to the authorities to rein in schools that burden our children with unnecessary homework.”

Is success merely a matter of test scores and grades, or does it encompass the development of well-rounded, resilient, and emotionally healthy individuals? The current emphasis on homework reflects a narrow, achievement-oriented view of education that may be out of step with the needs of 21st-century learners. While homework may have some role in older students’ academic development, its benefits for younger children are dubious at best. Policymakers, educators, and parents must consider the broader implications of homework on children’s well-being, development, and equity.

One potential solution is to adopt a more flexible, age-appropriate approach to homework. For younger children, homework could be replaced with activities that promote curiosity, creativity, and family bonding.

For older students, homework could be designed to be more meaningful and less burdensome, with a focus on quality rather than quantity.