Why Gubbachi Exists
42% of short term migrants work in the construction sector. (NSS 2007-08)
The problem of educational exclusion comes in two forms: the lack of access to schools and/or silent exclusion in classrooms due to non-learning.
Distress rural migrants have no access to schools for their children in cities, for various reasons ranging from distance and safety concerns to lack of previous schooling, language barriers and child care responsibilities. Underlying these reasons are, common emotive concerns of safety of the child and a lack of trust in the system. We argue that this exclusion of the migrant child in the city is as much of an urban problem as it is a rural one and needs to be owned at the destination site as a necessary first step.
The second form of exclusion is that of non-learning – where a child already in school – whether a low fee private school or a Govt. school – does not learn and eventually drops out. This happens due to a variety of reasons - a common one being teacher shortage in certain Govt schools in peri urban areas and under resourced private schools. This adversely impacts the development of literacy and numeracy skills.