Impacts of Rural Child Labor on Children’s Primary School Attendance and Academic Performance in Chilga Woreda, North Gondar of Amhara Region

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to explore and understand the impacts of child labor on primary schools children’s school attendance and academic performance in North Gondar Zone, with particular emphasis to children in rural areas of Chilga Woreda. To this end, the study used the qualitative method of interpretive methodology that underpins the nature of the research questions and aims of the study and helped the researcher to obtained in-depth data about the direct experiences and various views from the participants of the study. The study also employed convenience and purposive sampling techniques to select participants involved in the study. The study participants were chosen purposefully, not randomly. In doing so, different categories of participants have been involved for interviews as well as for Focus Group Discussions. The data obtained from the participants have been analyzed and interpreted through thematic data analysis techniques. According to this study, the most common forms of child labor are agricultural and domestic work. It was also found out that child labor highly affected school attendance, and academic performance of rural children. The study indicated that the major causes of child labor are poverty and traditional norms of the communities. The study also revealed that there are very little support mechanisms of school principals and teachers to assist child laborers to be successful in their education, and the wrong attitude of the community also affected the rural children academic achievement and school attendance. The study suggests that enforcing the existing child labor laws and proclamations seems to be a serious problem in the study areas. Therefore, to protect children from the hazardous and worst forms of labor, therefore, needs the designing of child protection policies, programs and projects that would address the issues under consideration of rural child labor contexts.