THE EFFECT OF CHILD LABOR ON STUDENTS' ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN SELECTED PRIMARY SCHOOLS

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A kid is the wellspring of man's and his community's regeneration (Kalu, 1982). The United Nations General Assembly unanimously enacted the Declaration on the Rights of the Child in 1959, which said that mankind owes the best to the child, which it must offer, and that every child is entitled to protection in his or her early years (adequate health care, food and social service and prepare for later years without respect to social status, sex, race and so on). A kid is defined as someone under the age of fourteen years old, according to the United Nations convention and the Africa Charter (1987). Children are the most vulnerable members of the human species, since they are the most vulnerable to abuse in society. The remark does not in any way diminish the society's multifaceted efforts to protect children. In a culture where various forms of child labor still exist, child duty should be distinguished from child labor (Esther, 2002). The labor in which the major emphasis is on learning, training, or socialization is known as child responsibility. As a result, the schedule is light and tends to be directed toward developing the ability of the kid and supporting their effort in a good area of decision-making growth, according to UNICEF Nigeria (2001). Furthermore, child labor is employment that is inherently exploitative and harmful to a kid's physical, social, cognitive, and moral development (Joseph, 2000). Child labor is a historical occurrence that dates back almost as far as the history of manking. Child labor is now a worldwide issue that affects poor countries all over the world, particularly in the African, Asian, and Latin American regions. According to UNICEF (1994), millions of children are at special risk as a result of poverty, wars, natural disasters, disabilities, and other circumstances. Children in such circumstances will be separated from their relatives, without the protection and security that families are supposed to provide, and will be vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. According to UNICEF data, as many as two hundred million people throughout the world labor for their own and their families' survival. They toil in unpleasant and frequently deadly manufacturing occupations, in domestic work, and in humiliating sexual exploitation on the streets and alleys of cities and towns. Childhood, which was formerly seen to be a period of aid, hope, and aspiration, has now become a time of turmoil and adversity. Especially in emerging nations, where the young are disproportionately affected by poverty. There has been an increase in worldwide awareness about the situation of around 250 million young sisters who are victims of child labor in recent years. Not only are UN agencies worried about the issue, but prominent international non-governmental organizations have also attempted to raise awareness about it. There appears to be a rising understanding of the importance of putting a stop to this behavior (Daniel, 2001). The opposing adult groups are increasingly coming to a consensus on the subject of child labor, albeit it remains a difficult nut to crack, and some black people feel that its removal is unlikely (Lovesth, 2000). On the other hand, "learning outcome," also known as school performance or academic performance in this study, has become a topic of interest to educational stakeholders (educational psychologists, teachers, academics, school administrations, psychometricians, parents, and so on) as well as, to a large extent, to students who are the direct beneficiaries of the outcome. Academic performance, according to Aremu (2001), is interestingly essential in that it is the primary benchmark against which all educational activities are judged using some standards of excellence. Almost every Nigerian wishes for their children to have an education. The suffocating poverty to which the poor are condemned tends to stifle the extremely poor's desire to reach this goal. Parents and guardians, on the other hand, must be able to feed, care for, and shelter their children, as well as provide them with enough clothing and a source of income (Adika, 2001). Low-income families turn to child labor as a necessary choice for their family's survival due to the high opportunity cost of their children's education. Poor parents accept payments from the wealthy in exchange for their children's labor and services, which has an impact on their children's education.   

1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Due of the high expense of living, it is widely assumed that the level of child labor varies between families and civilizations. Adesanwo Adesanwo (2007). One can also ask if a family's desire for extra revenue prompted many parents or guardians to send their children out to work outside the house. Child labor is defined as work that is dangerous and harmful to children on a mental, physical, social, and moral level, and that interferes with their education by denying them the opportunity to attend school, forcing them to leave school early, or requiring them to attempt to combine attendance with excessively large and heavy work (John, 2002). Child labor deprives youngsters of their desire to learn, contributing to Nigeria's poor literacy rate and academic success. As a result, the issue of examining the impact of child labor in selected primary schools in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State assistance to equally budget approaches to eliminate this social danger.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The impact of socio-cultural and economic factors on the occurrence of child labor is investigated in this study. The goal of this research is to decipher the concept of child labor in order to distinguish between child obligation and child labor. The purpose of this study is to look at the causes of child labor and how they effect students' academic performance in Nigeria. Also, to explore the effects of child labor on students' school performance in Nigeria. Finally, to recommend potential remedies to the negative effects of child labor on students' academic performance in Nigeria.

1.4     RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i. What is the general public's opinion on child labor?

ii. What are some of the reasons for child labor in local government?

iii. How does child labor affect the education of the children involved?

iv. What are some potential remedies to Nigeria's child labor issues?

1.5    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The importance of this research is to highlight the necessity for the government to recognize and safeguard children's rights. This research will also be critical in putting in place remedial programs aimed at informing, encouraging, and educating the general public on the need of preventing child labor. Furthermore, this research will contribute to the current body of knowledge and will be a valuable source of information in the future. 

1.6     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is confined to a few chosen primary schools in Kaduna State's Chikun Local Government Area.

1.7     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Child: Every human being under the age of fourteen.

Labor: entails considerable physical exertion.

Child labor is defined as strenuous physical labor or employment of minors under the age of eighteen.

Hazarding: This is a term that refers to a danger or damage to someone's health or safety.

Exploitation: A circumstance in which someone treats another person unfairly in order to profit from their labor.

Rejuvenate: to make them seem or feel younger or more active.

Prejudicial: Harmful or likely to hurt someone or something.

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