Author: Jugal Kumar Deka & Dr. Gunajit Sarma
DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.70798/Bijmrd/04011008
Abstract: Migration remains a defining feature of contemporary societies, shaping economic opportunities, social structures, and educational outcomes in both sending and receiving regions. With over 280 million international migrants and exponentially larger internal movements globally, the intersection of mobility and human development demands rigorous scholarly attention. This paper revisits major theoretical and empirical contributions to migration studies—from Neoclassical equilibrium models to the New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM)—through the specific lens of sustainability, ethics, and social responsibility in education. It argues that migration is not merely a demographic or economic phenomenon but a deeply ethical issue involving access to rights, equity, and capability expansion. Drawing on classical and contemporary scholarship, the paper synthesizes evidence on how migration affects educational access, intergenerational mobility, and the distribution of opportunities. Particular attention is given to the experiences of internal migrants in India, where seasonal and circular migration intersects with structural inequalities to disrupt schooling and deepen the digital divide. The analysis highlights how policy interventions can adopt socially responsible frameworks, shifting from a “sedentary bias” to systems that ensure the portability of rights. The paper concludes by outlining ethical imperatives for educational planning to ensure that migration functions as a pathway to empowerment rather than a barrier to human capital formation.
Keywords: Migration-Education Nexus; Social Equity; Educational Sustainability; Internal Migration; NELM; India.
Page No: 39-45