Distress migration and children's education

Ravindra Kumar Mishra

(The writer is former Chief Consultant, MHRD, GOI. He can be reached at rkmishrajee@gmail.com)

Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna, Mr. Nelson Mandela underlined, "Education is the most powerful weapons, which can be used to change the world". Education means broadening opportunities, sparking hope and opening doors for a brighter future. The role of school is not limited to delivering "learning". It is much more than this – creativity, problem solving, collaboration, social interaction, empathy, team work, working with others, respecting diversity and opinions, confidence, positive self-image, enjoying the process of learning new things, rationality, music, arts, craft, making friends – to list a few. This equally holds good for all children irrespective of their socio-economic conditions and this is mandated by the RTE 2009 and other educational policies. Closure of schools is impeding this to happen. It may increase learning gaps when nationwide endeavours are being made to overcome the learning deficit. This unprecedented situation is putting teachers, students and families under stress.

Simultaneously, it brought opportunity to use technology and an online market emerged with quality or compromised quality content. Accessibility, availability and outreach of these learning equipment may be limited, efforts are appreciable and necessitates bridging gaps- rural urban, gender etc., by bringing all children under this umbrella indiscriminately.

In between, reverse migration is a growing phenomenon in the country amid outbreak of COVID –19, closure of industries, shops and establishments owing to ongoing lockdown. Migration, once considered as a path way to economic prosperity is diminished for the time being, yet educating children is still in existence and unanimously desired. Returning of workers to their homes after losing jobs during the lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of learning among children poses challenges on education of their wards, besides health and livelihood. Migrants and their children seldom appear on the radar screen of national and international development agencies even in an ordinary situation. Migrating children's plight and educational needs merit quick attention of the authorities, when they are also the future dividend of the nation.

Without major efforts to counter the impacts, the shock will lead to learning loss, increased dropouts, and higher inequality. The economic shock will exacerbate the damage, by depressing education demand and supply as it harms households. Together, they will inflict long-run costs on human capital and welfare.

According an estimated figure, out of eight crore migrants, fifty-sixty per cent are on their way back homes. A sizeable number of children are among them whose education is under threat. Rapid mapping of children at source and destination, their eligibility and requirements and arrangements aligned to their needs may bring hope and help them in accomplishing their education. Flexible provisions like flexible calendars that accommodate migrant children, efficient system of transfer and enrolment with due consideration of situation, skill mapping, remedial teaching, adequate nutrition and health may retain them in the system.

In addition to this there is overwhelming need to strengthen the data collection technique and mapping the magnitude of distress migration children.

We now have an opportunity to "build back better" by using the most effective crisis-recovery strategies as the basis for long-term improvements in areas like assessment, pedagogy, technology, financing, and parental involvement.

If it remains unaddressed, there is high probability that these children will drop out at an early stage, get engaged in low-paid jobs in an informal economy, their education right is compromised and they continue in the vicious cycle of poverty and exploitation from parents to children.