By Vasudha Arabandi
It is a tale as old as time, that people move. The International Organization for Migration defines Migration “as the movement of a person who moves away from their usual place of residence, whether within a country or across an international border, temporarily or permanently for a variety of reasons”.
According to the 2011 Indian Census, internal migration was the most prevalent form of migration within India, accounting for nearly 88% of total migration. This translates to a staggering 186,697,174 people. A key trend noted under internal migration is seasonal migration, driven by a lack of formal labor opportunities and limited employment prospects.When we talk about migration, the conversation is often limited to the socio-economic impact that it has on states or countries, an often overlooked aspect of migration is the deep-rooted impact that migration has on children.
Of the total migration that happens in India, 19% of all migrants are children, making up a total of 92.95 million children. Given the significant number of children migrating in India, it is crucial to examine the relationship between early childhood care and education (ECCE) and migration.
Due to the unpredictable and erratic nature of seasonal migration children in early childhood stages are prone to receive inconsistent education. While Right to Education is a fundamental right in India, migrant children often don’t get to access this right due to lack of adequate documentation and constant movement. In a lot of cases while they are admitted to schools, they are not given adequate attention in both the city that they have migrated from or the city that they are migrating to due to missing attendance or lack of attention from educators.
Being cognizant of the fact that 85% of brain development occurs before the age of six, the government has implemented various initiatives to enhance Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE). Programs such as Poshan Bhi Padhai Bhi aim to improve the quality of care and education in Anganwadi centres by providing specialized training in curriculum, pedagogy, and nutrition to Anganwadi workers and their supervisors.
The introduction of standardized curriculums such as National Framework for Early Childhood Stimulation 2024 (For Children from Birth to Three Years)—Navchetana and National Curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education 2024 For Children from Three to Six years – Aadharshila, further underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring a strong foundation for early learning across Anganwadi centers.
To further the cause of providing quality equal opportunity for all, policy measures such as documenting migrant children progress and seasonal provisions for migrant children should be adopted. Schools and AWCs should be encouraged to teach all children equally and track their progress.
This International Migration Day, we should come together to ensure that all children in our country have access to education, and that the challenges of today do not come at the cost of a brighter future!