CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, INTERPRETATION

OF FINDINGS

Introduction

This study sought to the effects of child labour on pupils academic performance in primary schools. The chapter comprises of presentation of findings in connection with study objectives.

General information about respondents

Table 2:  Gender of the respondents

Source: primary data

Table 2 above shows that 66.7% of respondents were female and 33.3% were male. That means that the biggest percentages of respondents were female and apart from that it also shows that female are twice more than male.

Table 3: Age of the respondents

Source: primary data

From table 3 above shows that 33.3 % of the respondents are between 18-29 years, 40% are between the age of 30-39 and 26.7 are above 40 years. This therefore means that most of the respondents are above 40 years of age and therefore have good experience in the subject of study.

Table 4: Education level of respondents

Source: primary data

Table 4 shows that 33.3% of the respondents are certificate and diploma holders; while 23.3% and 13.3% are degree holders and other qualification respectively hence the majority of the respondents are literate.

Pie chart showing the findings on education level of respondents

Source: primary data

Table 5: Number of year’s respondents has stayed at Kampala

Capital City Authority

.

Source: primary data

Table 5 above shows that 13.3% of respondents have stayed at KCCA for  1-2 years, 33.3% have stayed for 2-3 years while 53.3 % have stayed for 3 years and above this therefore shows that most of the respondents have experience concerning The topic understudy.

Different forms of child labour that affects their academic performance

Table (6a)

Table 6(b)

How child labour affects the attendance of pupils

Other effects of Child Labour child labour that affect children academic performance

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION, SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION OF FINDINGS

5.1 Discussion of findings

5.1.1 Different forms of child labour that affects their academic performance

Most of the children are forced to work in different factories by the parents so that they are able to provide for their families, this sometimes happens in families which are in slum areas, this is also in line with Levison& Murray, (2005 ) and  ILO (2012) who state that the  vast majority of child labour is involved in hazardous occupations such as agriculture, mining, manufacture, construction bonded child labour, domestic work and fishing. Environmental and occupational conditions can impact on the health and development of the children. Children working in different sectors such as agriculture, factories, domestic labour, sex workers and carrying out their illicit activities, migrant labourers, and on the streets as vendors etc. The effect of job and activities can vary from a country to a country.

Many of the children from KCCA have been trafficked from Kampala to neighboring east African countries , most of the child traffickers take the children to witch doctors as sacrifices this is also in line with ILO/IPEC study (2007), which states that the East African Common Market Protocol launched in July 2010 allows free movement of labour within the region. However, there is a risk that children may be trafficked and exploited through this movement of labour. Comprehensive information on the scale and magnitude of child trafficking at the national level is still limited.

Most of the old men take advantage of the young children and defile them; this has worsened the condition of children in the areas of KCCA this is also in line with African Child Policy Forum (2006) which states that Commercial sexual exploitation of children is among the worst forms of child labour. The numbers of children who are sexually exploited are not known owing to the hidden nature of the practice. Children exploited in commercial sex suffer exploitation at the hands of care givers comprising parents/guardians, teachers and others who have responsibilities for looking after children. Whatever the source of exploitation, the consequences are usually severe. They include psycho-social problems, early pregnancy, sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), dropping out of school and early entry into work where girls particularly suffer a vicious cycle of exploitation and poverty.

Most of the children in urban areas of KCCA have been forced to work at young age due to lack of school to go to school, this findings is also in line with ULFS (2010) these results indicate that the majority of the workforce in the greater Kampala area was in informal employment. This has been indeed due to such factors like poverty, pursuit for commercial gain and weak laws. Children find themselves employed in the urban informal sector as domestic workers, own account workers, traders, casual labourers, sex workers and in garages as young mechanics.

Most of the young girls move to towns to look for employment at young age most of them end up being exploited and abused this is also in line with , ILO, (2010), which states that the girls were expected to do a lot of work but paid between 25,000 – 30,000 shillings a month. Work in domestic service ranged from cooking, cleaning, washing and looking after children. Despite too much work, the girls considered themselves lucky for being able to work and earn a living given the fact that they had no working contracts and were not paid promptly by their employers. Some girls retorted that they had not received payment for about six months since they started working.

Most children work in plantations to enable them take care of their families this is also in line with Uganda Bureau of Statistics, , (2008) which states that the majority of working children (96%) is found in the agricultural sector in various hazardous and dangerous activities on tea, sugar and coffee plantations, tobacco and rice farms, in fishing and related activities. They face many hazards and risks, which include mixing, handling and applying toxic chemicals, carrying heavy loads, using cutting tools and operating machinery, long hours of work sometimes in extreme temperatures.

5.1.2 How child labour affects the attendance of pupils

Child labpouir has made children to stay out of school due to much responsibilities at home they stay in work place instead o f going to school, this has increased poverty among children and worsened illiteracy levels in the area, this is also in line with Sedlacek et al., (2003) who states that Child labour has been linked to greater grade retardation.

Most of the children who work in industries donot attend school and they are found of being absent from class this is also in line with Lillydahl (1990) reported that working part-time in high school actually raised grade point average (GPA) as long as the student worked less than 13.5 hours per week. Working more than that had no adverse consequences on GPA.

Most of the children who work while study performs poorly in class unlike the others leading to poor grades in the class this is also in line with National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (1998), found no effects of working part-time on time spent on homework for U.S. tenth graders, in part because time spent on homework by U.S students is already relatively modest. Consequently, neither type of work nor hours of work per week are likely to influence the amount of time spent on homework. Work was not completely innocuous, however. Students who worked while in school experienced higher rates of behavioral problems such as alcohol and drug use and minor delinquency. Furthermore, the study found that students who worked in tenth grade selected undemanding classes to maintain their GPA. Some studies have found stronger evidence of adverse consequences of child labour on achievement.

5.1.3 Other effects of Child Labour child labour that affect children academic performance

Most of the children who did not go to school due to work at early age are poor, this is also in line with Heady (2003), who asserts that Child labour has various  implications on the children that affect their academic performance.  The number and proportion of children affected is not the only indicator of the prevalence of child labour, but also the type of work children do, the conditions under which they work and abuses the children face are significant factors of input.

Child labour has made most of the children to fail to develop intellectually thjis findings also is in line with Amon et al., (2012) the work that children engage has not only physical harm but also psychological harm in form of stunted intellectual development (intellectual ineptness). The work separates them from educational opportunities and thereby fritters away their chance to develop the essential skills they need to improve their prospects as adults.

Most of the children who donot have good updringing they end up being bad parents since they had a rough upbringing themselves, this is also in line with Feed the children (2003) when the work becomes burdensome or abusive, or is divorced from the links to the family, it can have serious negative effects in the psychological development of children. If work occupies so much time that the children involved do not have an opportunity to play or socialize with other children, their social and psychological development can be intensely stunted. The most salient characteristics of much exploitive child work is its repetitive dullness and sameness, in a nutshell, it lacks stimulating variety and creativity.

Most of children from  who were engages in child labour donot have good characters this is also in line with Edmonds (2002) these are generally dangers arising from the illegal activities in which children engage. These activities are morally repulsive in themselves and affect the sense of uprightness of the children. Such activities include; drug trafficking, commercial sex (child prostitution) and production of pornographic materials.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE STUDY

The results in the study recommends that children should not be allowed to work industries since this can endager their lives and makew them fail to complete their education cycle which increases the chances of poverty among them.

The study further recommends KCCA to fight against child trafficking.

5.3 CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY

The study concludes that Taking children to school is everyone’s responsibility and therefore the government should ensure that people in the country take their children to school

5.4 AREAS OF FURTHER STUDY

The study recommends the following areas for further study;

Influence of domestic abuse on a child’s academic performance

Challenges of cultures on a child’s academic progress

Techniques of enhancing academic performance among rural children