Holidays are rest days for adults and children. Insurance? The reality is that many children cannot enjoy their free time as they should because of their countless homework. In many cases, there are schools that even send homework or extra booklets for holiday periods, but where is the time to play? To be children? To be with the family?
The Spanish Confederation of mothers and fathers of students, CEAPA, which integrates more than 11,000 associations, has launched the campaign #Stopdeberes with the aim that children can enjoy a Easter holiday free of homework.
Campaign Background
This moviemto is not new, and at the end of 2016, CEAPA, called a duty strike during the weekends of November where public centers were urged not to assign tasks and parents to, if they had them, their Children did not do them. In return they proposed to do other activities such as visiting a museum or practicing family sports to have more free time.
What is the initiative?
The objective is to raise awareness of consequences that excess homework has for children and this they wanted to capture through two videos. The first has a catchy song that aims to become the anthem of those who are against the duties, recorded in CEIP Manuel Nuñez de Arena by the Comics Group.
The second, also developed by Grupo Comics, deals in a deeper and more developed way with the consequences of duties based on reports from the OECD and the WHO, among others.
The bottom line is that "the child needs to have time to read, to review the lesson and to enjoy his free time," says Leticia Cardenal, president of CEAPA.
The campaign is located on the web www.educacionsindeberes.org and is having great reception on social networks thanks to the support of hundreds of AMPAS, families, teachers and educational centers throughout Spain thanks to the use of the hashtag of the #stopdeberes campaign.
No homework during Easter or day to day
Parents often complain that their children have to carry school work on rest days such as Easter or summer but the truth is that homework is constant throughout the academic year.
The OECD estimates that in Spain students dedicate a weekly average of six and half hours to do homework outside school hours, two hours more than the European average. Also arriving at a clear conclusion, the average number of hours students spend on homework is not usually related to the overall performance of the school system.
Consequences of excess duties in children
CEAPA uses the motto "In my house there is a lack of free time" To recapitulate the negative consequences of overloading children with schoolwork:
Homework is a wrong learning method.
They overload the students.
They suppose an interference and interference in family life and leisure time.
They generate situations of inequality among students.
Violate the rights of the child.
48.5% of parents of children attending public school consider that homework negatively affect family relationships, according to a study of CEAPA being the most affected students of Primary and Infant.
It affects because the little time that parents have, after marathon work days, for their children they spend helping them with homework.
It is convenient not to forget the benefits that it can bring to a child to spend time with their family, whether traveling or simply enjoying leisure plans:
- Improvement of social communication.
- Increase in emotional ties.
- It helps all family members to get to know each other better.
- Stress and tension are released thanks to joint fun.
- Social skills are developed.
- Increase confidence, security and self-esteem.
In addition, the World Health Organization in 2016 already pointed out that the percentage of Spanish students who suffered stress because of their homework was among the highest in Europe. Pressure that resulted in an increase in pathologies such as headaches, backaches, abdominal discomfort and dizziness. Problems that are aggravated with age due to excessive tasks.
With all this data on the table, CEAPA's objective is clear, less duties in favor of children with more free time and better mental health.
