Need of Technology to Curb Child Labor

Passing legislation alone cannot solve the societal problem like child labor. There is need to induct technology to make child labor an uneconomical proposition. It will make impossible for child to be employable unless he gets some basic education...

According to the paper "Reducing Child Labor Through Education: Innovative Uses of Technology" by Dr. Robert Allen, Andrew Kerr, Christine Obester, the key to eliminating Child Labor is by offering education to the children in areas where child labor is most prevalent.

Because current child laborers are mostly in rural areas, education is hard to reach these students, especially state of the art systems that make learning fun and interesting.

The Allen, Kerr, Obester paper cites the following technology fixes in education that would help child laborers access education:

Satellite video
Delivery through low-cost satellite dish, receiver, and television gives communities access to educational programming as well as other satellite television signals. For example, strategic placement of a television in a school or community center can have an enormous impact on the learning potential in a classroom, allowing on-demand content streaming at any time of the day or week.

Satellite radio
Delivery by very low-cost satellite radios and portable 1.3 meter long antennae gives communities access to educational programming as well as other satellite radio signals. For example, programming continuing the same ongoing curriculum presented in formal classrooms could be transmitted directly into the home or community center to
reach children in the afternoon during planting and harvesting seasons.

Satellite Internet
Delivery via low-cost satellite dish (or antenna), receiver, and computer gives communities
Internet access to educational materials as well as access
to the World Wide Web. For example, receive-only Internet
access equips the school to download content and curriculum
for the classroom, providing teachers with new resources for
instruction.

Broadcast television
Community development or educational receive only programming can be rebroadcast using existing television broadcast stations. While not as customizable as satellite video, the television stations can rebroadcast the same educational and community development programming at different times to target the largest possible audience.

Broadcast radio
Community development programming can be rebroadcast using existing radio broadcasting stations. Broadcast radio signals have a much longer range than broadcast television signals, allowing for a larger audience. Rebroadcasting the educational and/or community development programming on radio stations makes the information accessible with the cheapest possible equipment: a simple transistor radio, already in place in most communities.

Multimedia
Education service providers can supply CDROMs, VCDs, and DVDs on community development or educational topics. All of the video, audio, and print materials can
be accessed through a computer. Computers placed in a school or community center can provide all of the education and community development information as stand-alone training or as a supplement to other training mediums.

Print materials
Education service providers can supply books, flyers, and pamphlets on community development topics. Printed materials can serve as textbooks or supplemental information for any of the other mediums described above. Printed material can be used to disseminate the information about education and community development programs and to provide a written “voice” for the community.