Migration for education gets troublesome
Home away from home. Lakhs of students migrate to different parts of India for educational purposes. As per sources, a total of 37 lakh students migrated in the last ten years. This shows that a discouraging academic environment in their hometown will never stop the youth from traveling to the brighter, developed cities for learning.
Are they having a good time after they come to a new place? How is their life before and after migration?
How is it different for boys and girls in these big cities?
A General Review:
States like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Orissa have lower levels of literacy. They are also known for their contribution to the increasing rate of population. The problem of fewer institutes for higher learning in these places does not surprise us. This leads to the migration of teenagers for higher studies and career opportunities.
Karnataka is one such destination that attracts many outsiders in terms of its infrastructure and improved learning spheres. According to the Census released in 2011, Karnataka tops the chart in terms of welcoming larger numbers of migrant students.
Uttar Pradesh stands first for the highest number of migration of students to other states.
“The share of educational migration has increased. More migration happens from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh to Delhi and from Uttar Pradesh to Maharashtra”
-Mr.Anil Kumar, Professor of Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
But inter-state migration is just 17% while 45% takes place within districts of the same time. For instance, data says that the maximum within the state is 2.7L students in Uttar Pradesh.
A deep focus on the female migrants:
The recent Nestaway survey studied a thousand women and their difficulties in migration. It also studied their views and experiences before, during and after migration. These girls were from Madurai, Nagpur, Bhubaneshwar, Patna, and Lucknow. Out of these 1000, 350 have migrated to Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, and Mumbai.
Girls want to migrate not just for studying but they also want to lead an independent lifestyle and live life on their terms.
The key points of the survey are as follows:
- 40% of the girls were concerned about safety.
- Over 42% of girls were accompanied by parents or any other family member.
- More than 75% of women said that their experiences were positive. They also said that the city allows them to pursue their career aspirations. They had an optimistic attitude.
On the contrary, the 2011 Census of India reports that the migration rate among girls for education is lesser compared to men.
What is stopping the figures from going up?
The problems include safety and a lack of suitable infrastructure for living. It also includes discrimination, sexual exploitation, etc.
In some places, they are subjected to the risks of getting exploited as well as trafficking and prostitution.
A female migrant in Bangalore was harassed by blaming her nativity
The girls who usually come from rural areas are from working-class families. They live in rented houses or PGs with minimum amenities because of their poor financial conditions. They do face a lot of problems immediately after they migrate to cities. They face difficulty in communicating as they do not know the local language. They would not be able to adjust to city life and the environment. The shift in the lifestyle affects their cultural values and traditions.
“Knowing the local language does not help much since the discrimination on us is primarily based on we look and how we dress.”
-Shatabdi, Student
The most affected are the students who migrate from the northeast to metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bangalore, etc. The rise of violence and bias towards them is surely rising high. They are mocked by calling names such as ‘chinkis’, ‘momos’ or ‘foreigners. They have a different accent as compared to others. Girls are harassed for such reasons. They are also offended for their westernized dressing. They are also eve- teased. According to the cases being reported, their condition is worst in Delhi.
Students migrate to various places for education. They expect to live an independent life. Students irrespective of gender face various issues. Women are said to migrate mostly because of marriage as compared to education or employment. Fears, inhibitions and roadblocks, women face before, during, and after migration are something that people should consider, leaving their xenophobic attitude.
