India’s systemic educational issues are among the most persistent challenges facing the world’s largest democracy. The 2009 United Nations Development Programme’s report ranks India 147^th out of 182 countries in its education index, and more than 1/3 of the country is illiterate.

Throughout India’s various migration-prone rural areas, the uprooting of migrant children is both a cause and effect of deficiencies in the educational system. The sons and daughters of migrant workers are forced to accompany their parents as they search for work away from their villages.  This annual exodus pulls them away from their communities and their schools.  As a result, these marginalized children do not often attend school, and those who do struggle to achieve age-appropriate learning outcomes. AIF’s Learning and Migration Program (LAMP) was created to tackle these problems.

Established in 2003, LAMP has directly reached over 237,500 children in nine migration-prone regions of India.

The LAMP program is currently active in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Orissa, and Bihar and has concluded programs in Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Initially, LAMP utilized both site schools and seasonal hostels. Site schools, established in migration destination areas, helped discourage child labor by providing on-site education.  Seasonal hostels established in the students’ home villages, enabled families to leave their children at home, thereby avoiding the worksites altogether.

Initially, LAMP utilized both site schools and seasonal hostels. Site schools, established in migration destination areas, helped discourage child labor by providing on-site education.  Seasonal hostels established in the students’ home villages, enabled families to leave their children at home, thereby avoiding the worksites altogether.

In 2010, the seasonal hostels emerged as the primary intervention for AIF because they keep children away from the harsh work environments and allow them to concentrate on their education.  Locating hostels in the source villages helps foster trust between families, the community and NGO staff. As a result, 43% of students in LAMP hostels are girls, a remarkable figure given the cultural ambivalence an costs associated with leaving a girl in the village to continue her education.

In LAMP hostels, AIF helps support the children’s education and provides a 2,200 calorie-a-day nutrition program and health care, while partnering with the village to provide shelter.

Across India, evaluations have shown that students who participate in LAMP have significantly higher test scores than their peers: a 98% pass rate in their 7^th grade examinations and a 96% pass rate on their 10^th grade examinations. Comparatively, the average pass rate for the 10^th grade exam in LAMP regions is under 60%. These improvements show just how much of an advantage LAMP has given to the lives of migrant children.

AIF has proven that focused education that meets the unique needs of migrant populations can have a high level of success.  As a result, AIF has successfully engaged the central government to create a government circular asking all states to earmark a part of their education budgets to meet the needs of the children of seasonal migrants.

In 2009, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE Act) was passed, which affords every child ages six to fourteen the right to free and compulsory education. Important provisions for migrant children, such as the ability to re-enter school after dropping out, were also included. While this major legislative victory is a huge step in the right direction, AIF and its partners continue to be diligent in ensuring that changes are implemented on the ground level.

LAMP’s impact is evident in both the lives of children directly affected through the site schools and hostels as well as through the potential that has been created through the RTE Act. AIF will continue to develop and hone the LAMP program and looks to leverage the RTE Act to ensure that the number of children covered by the program grows rapidly in the coming years.

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