Children experiencing learning barriers often do not make appropriate progress in school, particularly in primary skill areas. Their issues may be limited to a single school subject or may be evident across the entire academic curriculum. Learning barriers are a phenomenon that affects many children in South Africa, and children with learning barriers often experience several challenges, including victimisation, social rejection, and inadequate resources to address their needs. Despite developments in legislation and public awareness around learning barriers, minimal research in South Africa emphasises that these children and individuals still experience various challenges. This research sought to gain understanding of the challenges of children with learning barriers in Kariega, Eastern Cape. To ensure a robust and comprehensive understanding, this study utilised Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as a conceptual framework. This theory focuses on various complex but interactive systems contributing to a child's development, providing a holistic view of the issue. A qualitative research approach was used in the study to explore and understand the meanings participants attached to the problems they were experiencing. This flexible approach allowed participants to provide detailed explanations, leading to the collection of comprehensive data due to its inductive nature. An explorative-descriptive design was used to explore a new topic or a subject with limited or no existing information. The descriptive aspect was important as it helps to describe the phenomenon, which is commonly applied in social science studies. aimed to understand the experiences and perceptions of educators working in low-quintile primary schools regarding the challenges faced by children with learning barriers. The population of this research study consisted of educators in primary schools focusing on quintiles one, two, and three in Kariega, Eastern Cape, specifically concentrating on the intermediate phase, grades 4 to 6. The non-probability sampling technique used was purposive sampling, which was the most appropriate for the study. Individual, indepth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen educators and one learner support agent from low-quintile primary schools until data saturation was reached. The data collected was analysed using thematic data analysis. The research process was underpinned by a commitment to ethical considerations, including voluntary participation, informed consent, no violation of privacy, anonymity, confidentiality, Appreciation, and avoidance of harm, to ensure the integrity and trustworthiness of the study. The study explored the multifaceted challenges faced by children with learning barriers in low-quintile primary schools and it highlighted how interconnected systems influenced educational outcomes: family dynamics and peer relationships directly impacted learning, while the interaction between home and school underscored the need for stronger collaboration. Systemic issues such as inadequate resources and support services and societal attitudes and cultural norms further shaped responses to learning barriers. A holistic and collaborative approach involving social development professionals, educators, caregivers, healthcare providers, and community organizations was deemed a necessity to address these challenges effectively and help learners reach their full potential.
Background: South Africa’s primary school education system receives significant funding annually from public and private sources. Despite this, learners still grossly underperform. This means that learning interventions aimed at improving learning outcomes have been relatively unimpactful in primary schools. As such, it is crucial that we investigate why academic interventions have been relatively unable to turn the tide on poor academic performance. Aim: Although there are many reasons that limit the successful realisation of academic interventions in primary schools, this article argues that the problem is partly because of violence and trauma that result from the polyvictimisation of children. Children are exposed to and deal with historical, epistemic and interpersonal violence, making it difficult to learn. Setting: The article focusses on teaching and learning experiences in South African public primary schools. Methods: This critical analysis uses various sources, including programme evaluations and academic literature, to demonstrate how centring the psychosocial well-being of children in teaching and learning interventions is foundational to their efficacy and ultimate success. Results: By centring the learners’ psychological position, academic interventions would be more efficient in realising their objectives. It may also curtail financial wastage. Conclusion: The psychosocial well-being of learners cannot be disregarded in learning interventions. Children who are traumatised are not capable of reaching their full academic potential. Contribution: This article contributes to the debates that advocate for the psychosocial support of primary school learners in South Africa as a conduit for improving learner outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: Children and adolescents living in agricultural areas are likely to be exposed to mixtures of pesticides during their daily activities, which may impair their neurodevelopment. We investigated various such activities in relation to headache severity and neurodevelopment of school-children living in rural agricultural areas in the Western Cape of South Africa. METHOD: We used baseline date from 1001 school-children of the Child Health Agricultural Pesticide Cohort Study in South Africa (CapSA) aged 9-16 from seven schools and three agriculture areas in the Western Cape. Questionnaires were administrated to assess activities related to pesticide exposure and health symptoms addressing four types of activities: 1) child farm activities related to pesticide handling, 2) eating crops directly from the field, 3) contact with surface water around the field, and 4) seen and smelt pesticide spraying activities. Neurocognitive performance across three domains of attention, memory and processing speed were assessed by means of an iPad-based cognitive assessment tool, Cambridge Automated NeuroPsychological Battery (CANTAB). Headache severity was enquired using a standard Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) tool. Cross-sectional regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: About 50% of the cohort report to have ever been engaged in activities related to pesticide exposure including farm activities, eating crops directly from the field and leisure activities. Headache severity score was consistently increased in relation to pesticide-related farm activities (score increase of 1.99; 95% CI: 0.86, 3.12), eating crops (1.52; 0.41, 2.67) and leisure activities of playing, swimming or bathing in nearby water (1.25; 0.18, 2.33). For neurocognitive outcomes, an overall negative trend with pesticide exposure-related activities was observed. Among others, involvement in pesticide-related farm activities was associated with a lower multi-tasking accuracy score (-2.74; -5.19, -0.29), while lower strategy in spatial working memory (-0.29; -0.56; -0.03) and lower paired associated learning (-0.88; -1.60, -0.17) was observed for those who pick crops off the field compared to those who do not pick crops off the field. Eating fruits directly from the vineyard or orchard was associated with a lower motor screening speed (-0.06; -0.11, -0.01) and lower rapid visual processing accuracy score (-0.02; -0.03, 0.00). CONCLUSIONS: Children who indicate activities related to pesticide exposure may be at higher risk for developing headaches and lower cognitive performance in the domains of attention, memory and processing speed. However, self-reported data and cross-sectional design are a limitation. Future research in CapSA will consider pesticide exposure estimations via urinary biomarkers and longitudinal assessment of cognitive functions.
Shala Chetty-Mhlanga, Samuel Fuhrimann, Wisdom Basera et al.
Stunting, which affects about one-quarter of South African children below five years, has a long-term effect on a child's development and a potential economic cost to mothers. A stunted child necessitates more attention, thereby reducing the time a mother, especially if she is the primary caregiver, has available to seize labour market opportunities. This study investigated the relationship between child stunting and maternal labour force participation (MLFP) in South Africa, using a bivariate probit regression model. Data was sourced from the 2017 South African National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS). Using maternal height and improved water supply at home as instrumental variables to control for potential endogeneity, the average marginal effect model indicates that caring for a stunted child is associated with a 20 % reduction in MLFP, on average, at a 1 % statistical significance level. In addition to mothers' intrinsic merit of protecting their children, measures to prevent childhood stunting, such as nutrition education and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, can improve MLFP. A more flexible working arrangement could facilitate mothers' engagement in the labour force while caring for their stunted children.
Fru Awah Wanka, Maame Esi Woode, Coretta Maame Panyin Jonah et al.
BACKGROUND: Children with intellectual disability (ID) are known to have a deficit in self-care, social interaction, and learning abilities. Families raising these children experience a range of difficulties that require supportive systems to meet the physical, psychological, and social safety rights of children with ID. The study explored the safety of children with ID through the experiences of their families in the rural Capricorn District of Limpopo Province, South Africa. METHODS: In-depth individual interviews and focus group discussion were conducted with 26 families directly involved in raising the children with ID. An inductive thematic analysis of data on the experiences of raising children with ID was undertaken with the aid of ATLAS.ti 8 computer programme. RESULTS: The study revealed that children with ID lack safety at home, schools, and day care centre environments due to a lack of active involvement by nuclear family members, neighbours, and communities, including interaction with their peers and professional service providers in facilities. Safety of children with ID is compromised through exploitation and injuries, leading to marginalisation as they feared further humiliation. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted that active involvement of family members, communities, and governmental and non-governmental organisations is crucial in ensuring safe environments for children with ID.
The possible non linearity of the income elasticity of child labour has been at the centre of the debate regarding both its causes and the policy instruments to address it. We contribute to this debate providing theoretical and empirical novel results. From a theoretical point of view, for any given transfer size, there is a critical level of household income below which an increase in income has no impact on child labour and education. We estimate the causal impact of an increase in income on child labour and education exploiting the random allocation of the Child Grant Programme, an unconditional cash transfer, in Lesotho. We show that the poorest households do not increase investment in children's human capital, while relatively less poor households reduce child labour and increase education. In policy terms, the results indicate that cash transfers might not be always effective to support the investment in children's human capital of the poorest households. Beside the integration with other measures, making the amount of transfer depends of the level of deprivation of the household might improve cash transfer effectiveness.
Despite children not allowed to work by law in Namibia, child labour is still being practised in the country. In this paper, the multinomial logistic regression model was used to statistically examine the factors contributing to child labour in Namibia using the 2018 Namibia Labour Force Survey. Results showed that the children’s characteristics such as their residential area, region, age group, highest educational attainment, school attendance and the types of social grants received had a significant impact on the children’s engagement in child labour activities, while the sex of the children did not. In addition, economically inactive children aged 8-9 years, who already attained a pre-primary education and were currently attending school were more likely to engage in child labour activities,while employed children who were receiving special maintenance grants meant for disabled children, war veterans/ex-combatants grants and other types of social grants were less likely to. It is therefore recommended that the Namibian government and policy makers constantly engage and collaborate with community leaders to assist in the improvement of the standards of living through the creation of decent employment for the children’s parents/guardians, thereby providing decent income to cover at least the basic needs of the children’s households.
Summary Motivation Sub‐Saharan African governments have subsidized farm inputs—fertilizer and seed especially—to increase food production by small‐scale farmers to improve food security. A potential drawback of such schemes is that they may encourage farmers to put their children to work in the fields, harming their education. Purpose Did the Malawi Farm Input Subsidy Programme that began in 2005/2006 increase child labour on the holdings of beneficiary smallholders? Methods and approach The article analyses data from the Malawi Integrated Household Panel Survey to examine the effect of seed and fertilizer subsidies on child labour. The study employs a correlated‐random‐effects‐control function regression, using district coupon allocation as an instrumental variable for coupons received by households. Findings There was statistically significant evidence that the Farm Input Subsidy Programme (FISP) increased child labour. The effect, however, was relatively small. At the sample mean, it was estimated that the programme led to a 12 percentage point increase in the likelihood that children would work on the farm and that the children would work an additional 72 minutes a week on the fields. The FISP, however, did not affect the enrolment of children in school. Effects varied socially: children in male‐headed, uneducated, and smallholder households were the most affected. Policy implications Although the observed effects are not large, they are unwelcome. Two policy corrections could eliminate them. One, the award of subsidy coupons could be made conditional on children's school performance. Two, given that the effects barely applied in households where parents had been to school, agricultural training should stress the importance of children attending school and not working in the fields.
In this paper, we present comprehensive evidence on intergenerational mobility in Mozambique—the country with the lowest documented level of mobility worldwide—and investigate its relationship with child labour. Using survey data that include a module on non-co-resident adult children, we document a strong link between children’s educational attainment and parental education and household wealth. Interestingly, our findings suggest that child labour perpetuates intergenerational inequality, not merely as a response to income shocks but mainly due to labour market structures—particularly the complementarity between parent and child labour and the substantial opportunity costs associated with schooling. These findings underscore the need for targeted policies that decouple children’s labour market prospects from those of their parents and enhance awareness of the long-term returns to education.
Children in Malawi are involved in work that is detrimental to their health, morals and physical development. Among many factors, poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and household vulnerabilities have been identified as key driving forces. Realising the magnitude and the detrimental effects of child labour on children’s lives, international and national civil society organisations, including the Government of Malawi, have implemented projects to deal with the problem through different approaches. Among other approaches, the stakeholders have used legal frameworks that condemn and prohibit child labour practices to tackle the problem. These legal frameworks have also set an age limit for the involvement of children in work. Despite the establishment of legal frameworks to curb child labour, the issue persists. This paper argues that child labour persists primarily due to a disconnect between these formal laws and the local community’s perspectives on child rights. The paper suggests that communities perceive the principles of child rights, such as non-discrimination, the best interest of the child, life, survival and development, differently than their legal definitions or as they are provided in legislation. This misalignment creates barriers to the effective implementation of child labour laws in Malawian communities. The article is informed by discussions with Child Protection Workers and Civil Society Organisations working on human rights projects in Malawi.
