Perspectives on children’s work and schooling: Evidence from a longitudinal study in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India

Using data from a longitudinal study of children’s use of time that spans seven years in the lives of 1,000 children, this report examines the relationship between childhood work experience and later educational outcomes. Observations from more than 20 locations distributed throughout the diverse south-eastern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana show a significant unifying trend that indicates how early work may hinder childhood education and development.

Survey data is combined with qualitative interviews which strongly support the argument that experience with paid and unpaid work during early teenage years greatly reduces a young person’s chances at completion of secondary education. The effects of early teenage engagement in full time paid work, full time unpaid work, and different combinations of paid/unpaid work and schooling are each considered. Background factors such as family social and economic status, contrasts between urban and rural communities, and gender are controlled and analysed in depth.