Distress seasonal migration and its impact on children’s education in india
There are still many categories of children in India for whom adequate and appropriate strategies are not in place for their effective education. One such category are the children of seasonal migrants. This paper identifies major sectors and geographies with a high incidence of seasonal migration, and gives broad estimates of the numbers involved, especially the number of children between 0-14 years. It also outlines the nature and patterns of seasonal migration in different sectors, and how these annual migration cycles overlap with the annual school calendar. The discussion focuses on the difficulties that children face with schooling both in villages and at migration sites, and the conditions under which children drop out of schools, as well as the response or lack of response of local school systems to the education of migrant children in some areas.
The author also outlines the efforts made so far by government and NGOs to address these problems through alternative schooling, and provides recommendations for state and central governments in terms of policy and program interventions. The paper is a comprehensive reference document about the schooling problems faced by migrant children, and the efforts made by the government and NGOs through policies and programmes for the education of these children. Recommendations include:
- several state governments have stepped up their efforts to address the needs of migrant children, and many have sought the help of NGOs with experience in the area
- a growing number of NGOs are also coming forward to engage with this issue, but the road is a long one
- concerted and multi dimensional efforts – by NGOs, academics, media, child rights activists, and government – need to be made over an extended period of time before significant progress can be made
