Effects of Child Labour on School Attendance in Muheza District, Tanzania

Abstract

The research study investigates the effects of child labour on school attendance in Muheza district, Tanga region in Tanzania. The specific objectives guiding the study were: to explore people’s awareness of child labour, to identify the causes of child labour, and to find out the effects of child labour on school progress. The study employed a mixed approach whereby both qualitative and quantitative data were used. The sample size of this study is 112 respondents. The sample size of this study is 112 respondents through questionnaires and interviews. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the data and the data were analysed qualitatively through content analysis and quantitatively analysed with the help of the computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16 and instrument reliability test by using the Spearman-Brown Prophecy technique. The study findings show that poor learning concentration due to stress and fatigue, low-grade performance and missing tests and examinations are among the major effects on children with irregular school attendance. The findings also revealed that dropping out from school and truancy are other effects on students, especially those who engage in child labour. It is also said that some victims engage in crimes in the streets and the girls get early pregnancies due to unplanned engagement in early sexual practices. Apart from that, it was also reported that they are affected in their health and get depressed. The findings on the causes of child labour revealed that poverty of the family and family members was said to be the major cause of children engaging in child labour. Other causes mentioned by the respondents include domestic violence, poor implementation of laws, lack of legal responsibility of parents and school-based violence. Other causes revealed included the death of the parents, illiterate parents, lack of parental care for the children as well as poor school facilities that do not attract the children to stay at school and instead decide to engage in child labour. The respondents declined the fact that traditional practices are among the causes of children engaging in child labour. In light of the presented findings, it was recommended that the parents should be highly engaged in the students learning process. The government should also have statistics that can help to plan for interventions to help those children who are involved in child labour