Pathways to Social Mobility: Educational Aspirations and Occupational Mobility Among Nepalese Migrant Farm Workers in India

The current study centres on the South-South migration pattern followed by Nepalese migrants. Originating primarily from the western or far-western provinces of Nepal, these migrants move to the depopulating Garhwal Himalayan region, where they engage in vegetable cultivation and work on the deserted agricultural lands and revitalise them. Nepalese migrants usually reside in these host regions for extended periods, ranging from 15 to 20 years. This long-term or semi-permanent stay allows them to establish a more stable life. Moreover, it enables them to enrol their children in local government schools.

While scholars have extensively documented the temporary and circular migration pattern of Nepalese migrants to new Gulf destinations, the semi-permanent nature of the migration of Nepalese households, especially in the context of the western Himalayas region, has received relatively less academic attention. By focussing on the semi-permanent nature of Nepalese migration to India and examining the nuanced intersection of migration, mobility, and education, this study aims to fill the gap.

Based on qualitative research, the study explores the educational aspirations of Nepalese migrant parents for their children, the educational attainment of their children, and lastly, whether the improvements in their educational attainment lead to corresponding gains in their occupational mobility and how they perceive their mobility.

The study highlights how migrants utilise their voluntary immobility by prolonging their stay in rural and remote regions of the Garhwal Himalayas to fulfil their aspirations of ensuring continuous schooling for their children. Likewise, the crucial role of education in the migrant’s lives for upward mobility is often associated with the desire to 'become something' and a pathway to break their cycle of poverty. The findings of the study reveal that this migration strategy facilitates inter-generational educational and occupational mobility for these households, enabling a shift from agricultural or manual labour to white-collar professions.