Reevaluating the relationship between education and child labour using the capabilities approach: Policy and implications for inequality in Cambodia

Abstract

Cambodia has experienced rapid economic growth in the last two decades, improving living standards and diminishing poverty. Unfortunately, it has failed to do so evenly. Growth within the country has widened the gap between rich and poor and exacerbated the rural/urban divide. This inequality is mirrored in the school system. Inequality within the school system is, in large part, due to the persistence of child labour in rural and remote areas. Yet, child labour is not simply a symptom of poverty in Cambodia, but more a lack of opportunity, which suggests that education may have an important role to play as a solution. This article considers the relationship between child labour and education in Cambodia. Using the Human Development and Capabilities Approach, it draws attention to the intrinsic and instrumental values offered by the quality of Cambodia’s basic education system and how they affect families’ decisions when choosing between educating their children or having them work as child labourers. Approaching solutions to child labour based on the premise that child labour is caused by a lack of opportunity or capability formation within education, rather than simply treating child labour as a symptom of poverty, allows for careful consideration of policy solutions, their effectiveness and the implications for inequality within the school system and wider society.