Evenings at the kitchen table: homework between expectations and everyday life

At 6.30 pm, Alex and Luca pick up their daughter Emilia at the Maison Relais. They are home by seven o'clock. But the day is not yet over for the 8-year-old. The Cycle 3 pupil hasn't quite finished her homework yet. For the family, this means that at the end of a long day, everyone – parents and child – have to concentrate once again and get their exercise books out.

The case study is fictitious – but the situation for many families is not. At the end of 2025, it was precisely this burden that triggered a public debate. However, although the Ministry of Education has clarified the rules once again, parents continue to report excessive demands.

In March, the Ministry of Education clarified the homework rules in the "Circulaire de printemps" following discussions with elementary school headmasters, teachers' unions and parent representatives (see info box). "In terms of content, it's not a revolution, " comments Joëlle Damé, teacher and chair of the OGBL's Education and Science Syndicate SEW. The circular summarises all existing rules. But everyone involved agrees: occasional "reminders" are not a bad thing.