IN FOCUS: Do Singapore students get enough rest during school holidays?
SINGAPORE: During the recent June school holidays, it was not all fun and games for Secondary 3 student Chua Lee-Ann.
She had math exercises, a chemistry worksheet, a Chinese composition and other online homework to complete.
“I felt stressed (about) this amount of homework, as even when I was travelling overseas I had to worry about whether I had enough time to complete my homework,” she said.
Her family was away from Singapore for about one-and-a-half weeks during the June holidays, and Lee-Ann could not complete some school assignments until after they were due.
“My teachers were quite angry because I had the whole month to do it,” she said.
Catholic Junior College student Chloe Wong, 17, remembers rushing through a lot of homework the week before school started when she was in secondary school.
This year, she did not get any holiday homework. But there was a catch – her mid-year exams were right after the holidays ended.
“I felt stressed (about) this amount of homework, as even when I was travelling overseas I had to worry about whether I had enough time to complete my homework,” she said.
Her family was away from Singapore for about one-and-a-half weeks during the June holidays, and Lee-Ann could not complete some school assignments until after they were due.
“My teachers were quite angry because I had the whole month to do it,” she said.
Catholic Junior College student Chloe Wong, 17, remembers rushing through a lot of homework the week before school started when she was in secondary school.
This year, she did not get any holiday homework. But there was a catch – her mid-year exams were right after the holidays ended.
WHY TERM BREAKS ARE IMPORTANT
It is easy to understand why students would want time to play and have fun, but experts explained that having a good break is actually important for children and youth.
“School holidays play a crucial role in balancing a child's education and personal growth,” said Ms Tan Su-Lynn, senior educational psychologist at Promises Healthcare.
“They provide essential opportunities for rest, relaxation, exploration and family bonding, all of which contribute to a child's holistic development. The purpose of school holidays for children is to provide them with a break from their regular academic routines,” she said.
Family vacations, participating in camps or visiting places of interest can broaden a child’s horizons and foster curiosity, Ms Tan said.
There may also be opportunities for independent learning.
“Children can engage in self-directed projects, pursue personal interests or undertake educational activities that interest them,” she said.
Dr Gregory Arief D Liem, an associate professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE), said creating a “psychological distance” from routine tasks can help the development of a new and more positive perspective. In the case of students, taking a break may increase their motivation.
“When we think that we adults – who are supposed to be more self-regulated in managing our stress and maintaining our well-being – do need to have a holiday to rest, recharge and rejuvenate, we can imagine how even more crucially important a holiday is for our children and youth,” said Dr Liem, who is in NIE’s psychology and child and human development academic group.
But the term break may not necessarily fulfil its purpose.
“In general, holidays are supposed to be a time where you can kind of put aside all the academics and all that, and actually focus on what you enjoy doing,” said junior college student Teo Chee Hern.
He also had examinations immediately after the holidays and spent an average of two to three hours revising every day.
“If you actually want a true holiday where you don’t do anything at all, it’s very hard to find (in Singapore), for students especially,” he said.
“IT REALLY DOES ADD UP”
Secondary 3 student Teo Chee Le attended Chinese remedial classes and had to work on a physics project during the holidays, among other assignments.
Some were optional, but he said it was better to complete them in preparation for tests in term three.
Chee Le, who is Chee Hern's brother, said he does think there is "quite a bit of homework". But he tries to finish it within the first two weeks of the month-long holiday so he can enjoy his break after.
A secondary school teacher, who declined to be named as she is not authorised to speak to the media, told CNA that she thinks students are given too much homework during the holidays.
“Probably each teacher thinks they’re just assigning one or two pieces of work or a project here and there. But it really does add up since students take many subjects,” she said.
She said there is a sense that graduating students should spend their holidays revising.
“But if we as a society are trying to move away from an emphasis on learning for examinations, then shouldn’t we encourage students to use their holidays to rest, recharge, pursue their hobbies and spend meaningful quality time with friends and family?”
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