Politician calls for end to children’s homework

Vladislav Davankov, the deputy speaker of Russia’s lower chamber of parliament, has made an argument for eliminating homework for schoolchildren in order to give both students and teachers more free time. 

“When my son learned that I had become an MP, he immediately asked me to draft a law that would abolish homework. Today, during a meeting with parents in Moscow, I realized that the time has come” to do so, Davankov said on Friday, as cited by the press-service of his New People party.

He promised to discuss the issue of abolishing homework with the Moscow Department of Education and Science soon. “This is an international experience. I am sure that removing this burden from children and teachers will benefit everyone,” the deputy speaker insisted.

The kids should use this spare time to visit workshops dedicated to up and coming technologies like robotics, 3D modeling, neural networks and programming, he suggested, adding that the number of such workshops should be increased multifold and they should be free of charge for those attending.

However, the first deputy head of the State Duma’s Committee on Education, Yana Lantratova of the Fair Russia party, told RIA-Novosti that she would not back the full abolishing of homework.

“But making it more adequate, reducing the amount of what needs to be done, is definitely something that’s required,” she said.

Heavy loads of homework mean kids in Russia often don’t have enough time to play sports, go for walks, or spend time with friends, Lantratova argued. The parents also often have to hire tutors due to the difficulty of the tasks, she added.

In April, another New People parliamentarian, Anna Skroznikova, suggested that Russian students should be paid for good grades. She proposed to add the money earned this way to the ‘Pushkin Card’, which allows school children to visit museums, theaters, and other cultural institutions and events.  

The New People party was founded in 2020 and achieved 5.3% in the parliamentary election the next year. It currently holds 15 seats out of 450 in the State Duma.

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