Challenges in Implementing RTE in Migrant Worker Communities

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Dr Pooja Khurana

Associate Professor

Law department

Maharaja Agrasen Himalayan Garhwal University

Uttarakhand, India

Abstract— The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 positions education as a fundamental entitlement for every child in India between 6 and 14 years. Yet, for children of migrant workers—who move cyclically or seasonally across states in search of livelihood—realizing this right remains fraught with structural, administrative, socio-cultural, and economic hurdles. This manuscript examines the multi-layered challenges that impede RTE implementation in migrant contexts, drawing on a mixed-methods survey of 210 households across three migration corridors and qualitative interviews with teachers, community leaders, and local officials. Findings indicate that lack of portable documentation, language discontinuities, discontinuous school calendars, income insecurity, and weak inter-state coordination mechanisms collectively drive high absenteeism, dropouts, and under-enrolment.

Further, systemic biases, limited awareness of entitlements, and inadequate bridge schooling or support centres exacerbate exclusion. The paper argues for a “mobility-responsive” RTE framework that includes portable academic records, flexible admission norms, mother-tongue-based transitional curricula, and convergence among labour, education, and social protection departments. Recommendations also highlight the role of technology-enabled tracking, community mobilization, and employer accountability in mainstreaming migrant children. The study contributes empirically grounded insights and policy-relevant strategies to reconceptualize RTE delivery for highly mobile, informal-sector populations.

Keywords— RTE Act; migrant workers; educational exclusion; portability; bridge schooling; inter-state coordination; India

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