Lok Sabha Question No. 222 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-09
Subject: Educational Impact of Parental Migration on Children
Ministry: EDUCATION
Asked by: Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO - 222 ANSWERED ON - 09/03/2026

## Educational Impact of Parental Migration on Children

## *222.   Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo :

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has undertaken any assessment of the educational impact of seasonal and long-term parental migration on children in the high-migration districts of Kalahandi, Balangir and Nuapada in Odisha and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether any mechanism is in place under Samagra Shiksha or allied schemes to identify and track left-behind children who face irregular attendance and learning gaps due to parental absence and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) the details of remedial education, bridge courses or special learning interventions extended to such children in western Odisha, particularly for girls whose literacy levels remain below the State average;
- (d) whether any provisions for psychosocial counselling and community-based support systems have been integrated into school education frameworks in migration-prone districts of Odisha and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  proposes  targeted  measures  such  as  migration-linked  scholarships, community  learning  centres  or  technology-enabled  parental  engagement  models  to  address educational deprivation in western Odisha and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF EDUCATION

## (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

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STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO.  222  ANSWERED  ON  09.03.2026 ASKED  BY  SMT.  SANGEETA  KUMARI SINGH  DEO,  HON'BLE  MEMBER  OF  PARLIAMENT  REGARDING  'EDUCATIONAL IMPACT OF PARENTAL MIGRATION ON CHILDREN.'

(a) to (e): Education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution and majority of the schools come under the purview of the respective State and UT Government. Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Samagra Shiksha, State Government is supported based on  annual plans prepared by the State based on their  requirements  and  priority  and  this  is  reflected  in  their  respective  Annual  Work  Plan  and Budget (AWP&B) Proposals  which  are  then  appraised  and  approved  by  the  Project  Approval  Board (PAB)  in  the  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy  in  consultation  with  the  State  as  per  the programmatic and financial norms of the scheme, and physical and financial progress of the State for the interventions approved.

Under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  Samagra  Shiksha,  support  is  provided  to  States  and  Union Territories for the mainstreaming of Out-of-School Children (OoSC) through age-appropriate admission in regular schools. Financial support is provided for Special Training for age appropriate admission of out-of-school children at Elementary level. As per the norms upto Rs. 6,000/- per child per annum is provided for non-residential courses and upto Rs. 20,000/- per child per annum is provided for residential courses. During 2025-26, Rs. 219.10 lakh has been approved for this component for Odisha. 35 residential seasonal hostels have been opened in the districts of Kalahandi, Balangir and Nuapada benefiting 1367 children, including 753 boys and 614 girls.  Under the scheme of Samagra Shiksha 324 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (including 22 in Balangir, 10 in Nuapada and 26 in Kalahandi district) are functional in  Odisha,  where  40,999  girls  (including  2501  in  Balangir,  1500  in  Nuapada  and  3681  in  Kalahandi district) are getting access to quality education. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned 111 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) schools in Odisha to provide quality education to the tribal children in their own environment located in tribal dominant blocks. Further, under PM JANMAN 8 hostels in Kalahandi and 2 hostels in Nuapada districts have been approved for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Odisha. Under DAJGUA, 6 hostels in Kalahandi and 2 hostels in Nuapada districts have been approved for tribal children in Odisha.

In addition to the above, as informed by the Government of Odisha, residential Seasonal Hostels have been established to address the issue of school-going children migrating with their parents to distant places in search of better livelihood opportunities. The primary objective is to retain such children in schools, ensure continuity of their education, facilitate completion of Elementary and Secondary Education, and prevent dropouts. The identification of children from migrant families is carried out annually by Assistant Block Education Officer ( ABEO)-cum -Block Resource Centre Coordinators ( BRCCs), Cluster Resource Centre Coordinators ( CRCCs), and teachers prior to the migration season, particularly after the Nuakhai festival  in  the  western  region  of  the  State.  The  implementation  of  seasonal  hostels  in  the  districts  of Kalahandi, Balangir, and Nuapada has led to a significant reduction in the migration of children who used to migrate with their families, thereby impacting their learning outcomes. These seasonal hostels provide a safe and homely environment, along with essential logistical support such as food, electricity, water, boundary  walls,  and  toilet  facilities,  in  accordance  with  prescribed  guidelines.  Children  are  able  to continue their studies without disruption, leading to noticeable improvement in their learning outcomes.

PARAKH Rashtriya Sarvekshan (PRS) conducted in December, 2024 reflects that the performance of Odisha is better than the national average in all categories in grade 3, 6 and 9. The report of PRS 2024 is available at: https://parakh.ncert.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-07/REPORT\_India\_IND.pdf

| Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 3 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Subject                                               | Kalahandi                                             | Balangir                                              | Nuapada                                               | National                                              | State                                                 |
| Language                                              | 73                                                    | 66                                                    | 60                                                    | 64                                                    | 65                                                    |
| Mathematics                                           | 70                                                    | 62                                                    | 58                                                    | 60                                                    | 61                                                    |

| Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 6 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Subject                                               | Kalahandi                                             | Balangir                                              | Nuapada                                               | National                                              | State                                                 |
| Language                                              | 68                                                    | 65                                                    | 59                                                    | 57                                                    | 64                                                    |
| Mathematics                                           | 61                                                    | 56                                                    | 51                                                    | 46                                                    | 51                                                    |
| The World around us                                   | 62                                                    | 57                                                    | 51                                                    | 49                                                    | 54                                                    |

| Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   | Class 9 (Percentage Correct Scores Comparison) 2024   |
|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Subject                                               | Kalahandi                                             | Balangir                                              | Nuapada                                               | National                                              | State                                                 |
| Language                                              | 60                                                    | 57                                                    | 51                                                    | 54                                                    | 59                                                    |
| Mathematics                                           | 50                                                    | 41                                                    | 38                                                    | 37                                                    | 41                                                    |
| Science                                               | 50                                                    | 42                                                    | 38                                                    | 40                                                    | 43                                                    |
| Social Science                                        | 49                                                    | 43                                                    | 39                                                    | 40                                                    | 43                                                    |

Further,  as  informed  by  the  State  Govt.  of  Odisha,  Girls  from  migrant  families  who  are  retained  in Seasonal Hostels are able to continue their studies smoothly, receiving academic support in accordance with the prescribed curriculum and hostel guidelines, without any disruption or difficulty.

Community  participation  is  actively  encouraged  through  Parent-Teacher  Meetings  (PTMs),  SMC meetings,  and  other  school-level  interactions  conducted  as  and  when  required,  ensuring  continuous engagement, monitoring, and support for the children. The Seasonal Hostels are managed by the School Management Committees (SMCs). Group and individual counselling sessions are conducted by school teachers in coordination with the SMCs to address the psychosocial needs of migrant children and their families.  In  addition,  awareness  programmes  and  community-based  initiatives  are  undertaken  to encourage retention of migrant children in the Residential Seasonal Hostels and to ensure their safety and protection in accordance with the guidelines.

The  State  Govt.  of  Odisha  provides  educational  assistance  to  the  children  of  construction  workers including  children  of  migrant  construction  workers  under  Nirman  Shramik  Kalyan  Yojana  (NSKY). Under this scheme, Rs. 1951.93 lakh was provided to 23,850 children during 2024-25 and Rs. 3414.27 lakh was provided to 39,062 children during 2025-26.

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