After Roshni, Jyothi to show migrant children in Kerala the way

Kochi: The Roshni project was launched by the Ernakulam district administration in 2017 with an intent to ease the language learning challenges of migrant children, thereby helping reduce dropouts among students. Buoyed by its success, the state govt, with the help of local bodies, is set to roll out a new project titled ‘Jyothi' to ensure the uninterrupted schooling of migrant children by monitoring their school attendance through panchayat members.

"So far, the inclusive nature of Kerala society in general and projects like Roshni have provided a healthy environment for migrant children's learning. From this year, through Jyothi, we are hoping to extend the reach across all schools in the state," said state council of educational research & training director Jayaprakash R K.

According to officials' estimates, Roshni project has helped reduce the dropout rates of migrant children by 60%. However, the implementation of similar programmes in the state faces several roadblocks. Roshni project's academic coordinator Jayasree Kulakkunnath said one of the most challenging aspects before the education department is the intra-state migration of labourers.

"The existing dropout rates are not due to the inefficiency of the student or the education department, but because many leave school education due to intra-state migration," said Jayasree. She said a panchayat-level register of migrant students is required. Also it must be ensured that if a student leaves a school, they join another institution wherever their parents are moving to. She said as many of the students are first-generation learners, it is the state's responsibility to ensure that the children continue their education despite their parents' intra-state migration.

Jayasree said yet another challenge faced by the educators of Roshni project is to convince the parents that their female students join for higher education.

"Many of these students come from communities where early marriage is a norm," Jayasree said. "Convincing parents to let their daughters continue schooling, let alone pursue higher education, is an uphill task. But we're patient. This is a slow movement. One step at a time," she added.