Relationship between Child Labour and Access to Education among Secondary School Students in Mukono District of Central Uganda

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the relationship among child labour and access to education, among secondary school students in Mukono District of Central Uganda. A sample of 600 secondary school students was composed through multistage sampling that involved stratified random sampling and simple random sampling. Data collection was done using a validated, pre-tested and reliable questionnaire. The key findings suggested that the relationship between child labour and access to education was positive and significant, and child labour participation may have accounted for 18% of the variation in students' access to education. The key conclusion is that Secondary school students in Mukono District were able to combine child labour with schooling. And that child labour may be mildly to moderately helpful in the education of secondary school students in poor communities in developing countries as exemplified by Mukono District although elsewhere this may not be so. It may therefore be helpful for researchers to treat discourses on child labour within contextualized local, social and economic conditions, and that participation of students in child labour in Uganda and similar settings should be carefully regulated by Government in order to protect children from exploitation and engaging in the worst forms of child labour.