THE IMPACT OF CHILD LABOUR ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS IN OLORIN EAST, KWASA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of Child labour on academic achievement of pupils in public primary schools in Ilorin East Local Government, Kwara State, Nigeria. Two research questions were raised and were tested with two null hypotheses. Survey research design was adopted. The population for the study was all the eighty-three public primary schools in Ilorin East Local Government. Five schools were selected as sample and forty respondents from classes 5 and 6 from each school were randomly selected for the study, making total of two hundred respondents. The instruments used for data collection was the score in the report card of the students for 2015/2016 academic session. Frequency distribution and
percentages were used to analyze the demographic data obtained from the respondents while a t-test was used to test the null hypotheses generated at 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed that, there is a significant difference in the academic achievement of children exposed to child labour and those who are not in public primary schools in Ilorin East Local Government, and there is a significant difference in the academic performance of male and female children exposed to child labour in public primary schools in Ilorin East Local Government, Kwara State. The study recommended among others that children exposed to labour should be given equal right to attend school regardless of any
engagement in labour activity. It also recommended that government/parents should develop strategies to reduce or eradicate child labour activities.