[N(poster)] ポスターセッション

英語

[1O11] The Influence of Child Labour on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Skills among Lower Secondary School Children in Bangladesh

*Mubin Afridi¹ (1. Kobe University)

キーワード：

Foundational Literacy、Foundational Numeracy、Child labour、Lower Secondary Education

Nearly 138 million children comprising 59 million girls and 78 million boys are engaged in child labour globally, representing approximately 8% of the world’s child population (ILO, 2025). Among them, 54 million are involved in hazardous work that poses serious risks to their health, safety, or moral development. In Bangladesh, an estimated 1.78 million children are currently engaged in child labour, with around 1.07 million involved in hazardous forms of labour (BBS, 2022). Although access of education in Bangladesh is universal but the quality of education is still a concern because only 49.8 % children aged 7-14 has foundational literacy and and 25.8 % have foundational numeracy skills. This study examines the influence of different forms of child labour on foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills among lower secondary school students in Bangladesh, with an attention to gender differences. Using nationally representative data from the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, the study investigates the relationship between household child labour, child labour outside the home, and hazardous child labour and children's acquisition of foundational reading and numeracy skills. The analysis employs logit models, cluster fixed effects models, and district fixed effects models to account for potential unobserved heterogeneity and control for relevant household and demographic characteristics. The results reveal that lower secondary school students, child labour outside the home and hazardous child labour significantly reduces the likelihood of possessing foundational literacy skills. The interaction analysis between child labour and gender further shows that the influence of child labour varies by gender, with girls more negatively influenced by hazardous labour in early schooling and boys more vulnerable at the lower secondary level, particularly regarding hazardous and outdoor child labour. The study highlights that literacy skills are more sensitive to child labour than numeracy skills. Overall, the findings shows that child labour remains a significant barrier to achieving foundational learning in Bangladesh.