Child Labor and Academic Performance of Selected Secondary Schools in Bulambuli District

Amidst poor academic performance in Bulambuli district, the present study investigated the child labor on academic performance of students in Bulambuli district, Uganda using a cross sectional research design to determine characteristic social of respondents involved in academic performance in Bulambuli district, to determine effects of child labor on academic performance of students and pupils of Bulambuli district out how a supportive home environment is related to the academic performance in Bulambuli district. A sample size of 100 respondents was determined from target population using Slovene’s formula, and random sampling was employed to select participants based on experience and position. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires and later analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. The study showed that majority 40(52%) of respondents were in the age bracket of 20-29 years with 32(40%) married compared to their counterparts. Majority 51(64%) were females and 29(36%) males with at least most of them having attained varies levels of education such as certificate, diploma, degree and masters. The study also revealed strong relationship between supportive indiscipline and academic performance in Bulambuli district with majority 30(38%) of respondents strongly agreeing that street life can greatly influence academic performance of learners. The findings also showed that majority of respondents strongly agreed that early marriage can greatly affect academic performance and has a very big influence on the learners. It was also observed that majority 33(41%) of respondents agreed that learners in non-supportive environment struggle a lot in their academic performance by facing challenges of accessing learning equipment’s compared to only 24(30%) and 14(18%) who agreed and strongly disagreed with the findings. The researcher also recommended that learners should be provided with a serene home environment for learners by giving them proper time and educative environment at home. The researcher also recommends that educators should encourage parents and school administrators to teach good morals to their children which is necessary means of academic success. Keywords: Child labour; Academic performance; Supportive home environment; Early marriage; Bulambuli district