Determinants of Child labour and Its Effects on the Children‟s Schooling: the Case of Mekelle city, Tigray, Ethiopia

This study attempted to assess the Determinants of child labour and its effects on the Children’s schooling: the case of Mekelle city, Tigray, Ethiopia. The objective of the study was to identify the working conditions of child labourers, to assess the factors that determine children decision to participation in work, school or a combination of them and also to assess the effect of child labour on the children’s schooling. The study conducted using 120 child labourers’ respondents. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by using survey method and focus group discussion. The findings of the study indicate that nearly all the child workers that participated in the study were with disadvantaged background involving coming from poor families, some being orphaned and having migrated from other parts of Tigray as well as from neighboring Amhara region to Mekelle. And also the study finding showed that child workers that participated in the study were normally working for long hours, on average 11.15hoursper day under conditions deprived of meaningful educational opportunities that could open up for them better future. Hence, the majority of the child labourers in this study found either illiterate or school drop outs, therefore policy measures that resort child workers from work to school should be put in place so as to make public schools well equipped and attractive to children and their parents.