irish government banning homework

President Michael D Higgins calls for school homework to be scrapped

President Michael D Higgins stopped by St Kevin's National School in Tipperary where the pupils interviewed him about his dogs, his time in school and his view on homework

• 15:01, 21 JAN 2023

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President of Ireland Michael D Higgins has said he supports the scrapping of homework.

He addressed students of St Kevin's National School, Littleton, Co Tipperary, this week in an episode of RTE's news2day programme.

The President said that schoolwork should be completed in school time so children can use time after school to pursue more creative activities.

Read more: Ireland weather: Met Eireann pin point the end of the cold snap as temperatures skyrocket next week

“People should be able to use their time for other creative things,” he said.

"I think as much as possible that [homework] should happen in the school and I think it’s more relaxed than it used to be.”

He said that not all lessons are learned from books, but that the responsible use of phones is something that he hopes the younger generation will be acutely aware of.

The children of Ireland "have a great value of friendships" and this makes it even more tragic when there is an "abuse of phones for bullying", the President said.

The pupils were also curious about some of the other residents of Aras an Uachtaran - dogs Brod and Misneach.

"He's probably a very famous dog now," said President Higgins of Brod. "He will be 11 in February, which is a very good age for a Bernese Mountain dog and Bród is wonderful.

"He came here at six weeks old, so he's lived all of his life at the Áras..

As for Misneach, he said: "He came during Covid and because I couldn't collect him because of the ban on inter-county travel, he didn't come to me until he was five months old.

"He also didn't have a good journey here, so he's actually shy. He's a beautiful dog."

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Irish Mirror readers overwhelmingly back President's call for 'homework to be banned'

President Michael D Higgins has offered hope to a new generation of schoolchildren

• 13:17, 23 JAN 2023

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Irish Mirror readers have almost unanimously agreed that homework should be scrapped for schoolchildren after a poll asked if the Irish president's call was warranted.

President Michael D Higgins called for homework to be banned in Ireland , offering hope for a new generation of students looking to take back their time after the school bell tolls.

The Irish Mirror put the question to the public in a poll within the article, which detailed his cry for young people to engage in more creative pursuits "outside of school hours."

Read More : President Higgins calls for homework to be banned in Ireland

We asked "Should homework be banned?", which was answered with a 98% majority, Yes.

In a landslide decision, 57,440 readers voted yes, while just 1,211 voted no.

If implemented, this new approach would mean that school activities would end at the gate, according to President Higgins, who made the call last week.

He was speaking to current affairs and news programme for children, RTE’s news2day on the occasion of the programme’s 20th anniversary on Irish television.

"I think myself, really that the time at home, and the time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things," the former Arts Minister told schoolchildren in attendance.

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