President of Ireland calls on schools to stop giving pupils homework

Schools should strive not to give pupils homework where possible, the president of Ireland has suggested. “Time in school … should get finished in school,” the president told pupils at a school in County Tipperary this week during a broadcast for RTE. Reiterating his point, the 81-year-old president added: “I think as much as possible that should happen in the school and I think it’s more relaxed than it used to be.” Mr Higgins was asked for his thoughts on homework by pupils at St Kevin’s National School in Littleton, during a broadcast celebrating the 20th anniversary of RTE’s children’s news show – viewers of which sent their questions in for the president. “And I think an important thing is friendship, and that nobody is left without friendship.” open image in gallery Michael D Higgins speaks to children in County Tipperary for an RTE broadcast Suggesting that children of Ireland place “great value” on friendship, Mr Higgins lamented that this makes it even more tragic when there is an “abuse of phones for bullying”. Mr Higgins revealed that, having started school himself at the age of seven, his love for reading soon saw him decide that he wanted to be a teacher – and he attended teacher training as an adult before going on to spend 25 years in Ireland’s lower house of parliament Dail Eireann.