Abstract
Children who are said to be the face of the future are exactly the ones whose right is being violated. Instead of playing and studying they work to earn a living for their family and for themselves. This situation has been observed over the years that poverty forces poor families to send their children to work, which results in serious problems the world is facing nowadays. This study illustrates the struggles of children engaged in child work studying in the public schools situated in Minalin District. The researchers focused on the pupils engaged in child work currently enrolled in their 1st to 6th grade. Given the population, the researchers used the purposive sampling to attain the needed sample for the study. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted by the researchers that elicited a better understanding regarding the relationship of child work to academic performance and absences incurred by the respondents. Based on the findings, Males dominate the gender of the respondents from Grades 4,5 and 6 who were willing to work despite it being child labor. The respondents’ General Weighted Average was 77. 35 which is just two points higher on the passing grade set by the DepEd. Also indicated that Child Work has a strong negative relationship to Academic Performance of the respondents. In Minalin there were no cases reported about children engaged in child work at the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Therefore, for this reason parents and all stake holders should work hand in hand for our children to be nurtured and realize their value as a member of society, and to their family towards the fulfillment of their dreams.
