Child Work, Child Schooling and Educational Achievement: An Empirical Evidence for Nigeria

As a result of the growing international concern about child labour, child work and the effects on thewelfare and future of these children, the practices are now being questioned in Nigeria. The recentperception of child labour and child work as a problem stems from the belief, and finding oninvestigations that involvement of children in economic activities outside the home is injurious to thechildren’s intellectual and physical growth. According to Oloko (1996) working is believed to exposechildren to physical danger, sexual abuse and other forms of harassment. It is also believed that workprevents children from doing well in school with the resultant risk of condemning them to low wageincome in the future (Falayajo, Makoju, Okebukola, Onuga & Olubodun, 1997 and Ray, 2000). AnInternational Labour Organisation (ILO) study quoted by Beguile and Boyden (1988) even went furtherto suggest that child labour may contribute to adult unemployment. This may be so since children couldbecome substitute workers at cheaper wage rates.