Interstate Migration and Children’s Education: A Study from Ernakulam District, Kerala

Abstract

Mandating education as a fundamental right in the Constitution of India came after decades of fight by concerned individuals and associations. But even after a decade of proclamation of the Right to Education Act, the absence of specific attention to the education of migrant children in India is an important policy problem that has not received much attention. In that context with a targeted approach, this study explores the education of migrant children in the state of Kerala. The objectives of the study are to identify the nature of family migration to Kerala, then to evaluate the equitable access to education for the children of migrant workers and finally to initiate a citizen-centric education policy framework in addressing the concerns of the migrant children and family. The study is conducted at Ernakulam District of the state of Kerala based on a qualitative primary research method to ensure the primacy of public opinion in policymaking. Through in-depth interviews with the migrant community as well as the associated stakeholders, the study is narrating the diverse response of the people on their migration to Kerala and the access to education for their children. The study concludes with a wide range of suggestive policy recommendations in which some of which are appreciating the recent grassroot interventions and some are questioning the existing policy practices promulgated by the national and state-level educational policies.