School Absenteeism and Child Labor in Rural Bangladesh

Evidence from many countries suggests a close association between school absenteeism and high rates of school drop-out, grade repetition and low academic achievement, and health and psychological disorders. In rural Bangladesh, school absenteeism is a major issue. Many children who are enrolled do not attend school regularly. Our own calculation using the Multiple Indicator Survey (MICS) 3 2005-06 data shows that more than a quarter of children aged 7-14 years missed at least one day of school in a six-day school week in the rural areas of Bangladesh. In addition, Bangladesh has a very high incidence of child labor. In 2005-06, 41% of children aged 7-14 years participated in the labor market activities in the rural areas. In this paper, we empirically examine the major determinants of school absenteeism and child labor among children aged 7-14 years and number of hours worked by them in rural Bangladesh using the MICS 3 2005-06 data. Since, data on school absenteeism and number of hours worked are censored, we estimate a bivariate Tobit model. Our empirical analysis shows that parental educational level has a significant negative effect on both school absenteeism and number of hours worked by children. The negative effect of education level of mother on school absenteeism is twice as large as that of father. We find that children belonging to poorer households have higher level of school absenteeism and work greater number of hours. Our results suggest that low income and financial constraints continue to act as important barriers to improving schooling outcomes in rural Bangladesh. We also find evidence of gender bias against female children regarding child labor. Female children work significantly greater number of hours than male children. In addition, the gender differential in number of hours worked increases with age. Finally, we find that school absenteeism is lower among children enrolled in higher grades. Results show that low parental education level and significant resource constraints both in terms of wealth and time are main obstacles in improving schooling outcomes for children in rural Bangladesh. There is continuing need to provide financial support to poor households and increase their access to credit market. Reducing school absenteeism in lower grades can help in reducing school drop-outs and improving academic achievement. There is need to target government assistance and aid programs towards children in lower grades and their parents.