| Author: | Qi, Ji |
| Title: | Education for migrant children in Beijing |
| Degree: | M.Phil. |
| Year: | 2010 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations Children of migrant laborers -- Education -- China -- Beijing Rural-urban migration -- China |
| Department: | Department of Applied Social Sciences |
| Pages: | xiii, 427 p. : ill. ; 31 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study is concerned with the necessity for the recognition of education as the most fundamental social protection for rural migrant children in China in light of their current situation in cities. A qualitative approach was adopted; a migrant school was studied and literature on the issue of education for migrant children was reviewed. A schema for protecting the education realization of migrant children was then recommended. Among the most profound social and economical changes in the reform era must be the massive rural labor migration. Statistics from various resources indicate that the number of migrants fluctuates between 120 million and 200 million. Migrant population gets even bigger since migrant parents started reuniting with their children who used to be left behind in rural hometowns. As the number of migrant children climbs, the issue of how to educate them becomes more and more complicated. Lacking social security coverage has long been an issue for the Chinese rural population. The continual existence of the hukou system with its lingering impact still differentiate migrants from their urban counterparts and deprive them of the basic entitlements and amenities available to themselves and to their family members. Like their parents, migrant children have also experienced many hardships in cities, among which, the lack of quality education could be the most devastating one. Migrant children do not have equal access to urban public schools for they do not have local hukou. Financial incapability of their families is another major factor resulting in the lack of education for migrant children. Meanwhile, non-financial barriers also prevail, such as the frustrating registration procedures, strict quotas, a supposed shortage of school places, and discrimination acts to exclude migrants from urban schools. Education is a widely appreciated public service. With an education, migrant children could have a better and a proper place in the mainstream of the society, getting rid of the disadvantages caused by their rural identities, and to escape from the shadow of poverty and exclusion again. To protect their lawful rights to education, this research proposes to see education as the most fundamental social protection for migrant children. Referred to previous researches, this research puts forwards a social protection framework to observe the various stakeholders involved in the issue, including migrant communities, migrant homes, public schools, migrant schools, local governments, as well as the academic circle, mass media and NGOs. Findings of the three months fieldwork in Beijing, in turn, help to conceptualize the framework against the backdrop of Chinese cities. In view of the vulnerable situation of migrant children, a policy scheme consisting of four types of measures, including protective, preventive, promotive and transformative measures, is put forwards. The study concludes that education is the most important social protection for migrant children, and the policies recommended are practically feasible if implemented carefully and systematically. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b23744947.pdf | For All Users | 4.57 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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