Africa has the highest incidence in child labor than any country or continent in the world. 41% of all African children ages 5-14 are involved in some kind of economic work. Parents send their young children to work and whenever the children return to home, most of them get paid a little or not at all and even some come home sick. Working at a young age, 10 or more hours each day could risk a child’s health because there are situations when children have to work more than 20 hours and no food to eat and no sleep.

Millions of children in Africa had never set foot in a classroom. Many families can’t afford to pay the tuition fees in school and uniforms and some of the schools require no fees but the problem with the schools is that it needs to expand and be in a nice, neat, new building with more lights and textbooks for the children. The government should focus on education for children because it is important for them to know how to read and write and learn many things. Even though here in the U.S. people complain about going to school and having a lot of homework, we should be grateful because children in Africa can’t afford school. I’m not saying we shouldn’t help them, I’m saying- my opinion- that education is important enough that every child should go to school, whether or not they can pay the tuition fees. The government should help build the schools- maybe one where you can pay the fee and one that is for free and you have to attend it 5 days a week.

If more children participate in economic work, then fewer children go to school. Children beside in Africa should not have a job under the age 16 and they should go to school until they are 18 so they can have a job that will more likely make you get paid and you’ll have more experience and strength in working in a factory than a young kid under the age of 12 because children will become more sick working full time than an adult who works the same amount of time. Education is more important for the children and they shouldn’t be spending more of their time in factories when they should be in school, learning how to read and write. I think it is cruel for parents to send children off to do such dangerous economic work. Having a job at such a young age can distract a child’s health and education.