Get Impact Of Child Labor On School Attendance And Academic Achievement

Child labor is work for children, but also harmful to their growth physically, mentally or emotionally. Children were forced to work because of their family's extremely poor condition where they may be needed to drop out of school.

Once engaged in child labor, children are often unable to return to school or continue their education. In many cases, employers actively prohibit children from attending school, while in others, the long hours demanded by employers make schooling practically impossible.

Children and adolescents who do not work have better school performance than students who work. Up to two hours of work per day do not have a statistically significant effect on school performance, but additional hours decrease student's achievement. Differences in work conditions affect school performance.

When children are absent from school, they miss out on consistent instruction that is needed to develop basic skills. Children in early grades are particularly susceptible to falling behind in fundamental reading skills, which can have a snowball effect that impacts future learning.

Child labour can result in extreme bodily and mental harm, and even death. It can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. And in nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights.

Numerous studies have found that long hours of work—generally defined as twenty or more hours a week during the school year—interfere with scholastic performance. Child farmworkers who spend long hours in the fields do not have time to study, are often tired during class, and are more likely to be tardy or absent.

Our findings suggest that government policies aimed at reducing poverty in Mexico are important in influencing both child labour and school attendance, and policy changes have had undesirable effects on both.