Should we get rid of homework?

I have read several international articles that promote the idea of getting a homework+free school. Both the pupils and the parents agree that it would be a better option. The reasons proposed are the following:
- Pupils have little time to work with school related tasks when they are into sports or other activities in their free time.
- Parents find it difficult to help the children with their homework. Already in the 3-4th grade the parents do not "follow" the school's level and thus are unable to work with their off-springs at home.
- A solution might be to have a longer school day (until 4 pm). Then the teachers, qualified instructors, will be there to help the pupils.

What do you think of that?

A girl I know (8th grade) once said she would rather stay 1 more hour longer at school instead of getting homework.
To be honest, I think such ideas come from people with little understanding of what they want. After all if all the homework can be done in one hour per day, why should you spend this hour at school and not within the beloved walls of your home? If my friend meant she would rather stay 1 more lesson every day in exchange for the 3-4 hours of working at home (and thus implying a considerable reduction of homework amount), then it is simply an unfair bargain.
Homework in my country IS already divided into several difficulty and amount levels for the students to choose from. It is a good start to satisfy the educational needs of the greater student mass.

I don't find it necessary to take away homework from the educational process. I consider it to be a good training for the pupils. They get to try and solve the problems (that have been shown by the teacher in the class) on their ow. This helps them become more confident of what they can do and what they need to practice more.