Out-Migration, Education, and FLN: A Curious Connection

I’m incredibly happy to be based in the tri-cities for the Fellowship. The tri-cities is the term to refer to Chandigarh, and its two satellite cities of Mohali (in Punjab) and Panchkula (in Haryana). Despite the ever-present brutalist architecture and urban design philosophies that harken to the 1960s, the city has a very youthful charm to it. Children go after school to hang around Sukhna Lake, and students from Panjab University enjoy the nightlife at Sector 17 Market. For a city, and region, filled with so many young people, it’s a shock how many immigration agencies there are. Once, I even saw two different agencies next to one another, certainly an interesting business strategy.

The Open Hand Monument of Chandigarh near the capitol complex. (Photo courtesy of the author.)

Outside of businesses, it’s something that comes up in conversation. Whenever I’m in an uber and the driver finds out I’m from the United States, they ask me about if there’s work available, and how easy it is to get a visa. Most of the drivers that ask this are quite young, no older than 28, and they talk about how difficult it is finding a job and supporting their families. Many of them vent to me that the tri-cities have been getting more expensive and they’ve been facing issues with money, others live outside of the tri-cities and commute there for work. With the situation worsening, it feels like they’re screaming into the void, and they appreciate me listening to them when it feels like nobody else does.

The lack of opportunity that causes this desire to move is an issue spanning across Punjab and Haryana. It affects everyone regardless of their education status and background, but it affects rural individuals and people lacking higher education the most. As per the Indian Employment Rate Report 2024 from the International Labor Organization (ILO), Haryana and Punjab have migration rates of 29% and 29.3% respectively, this is slightly above the national average of 28.9%. Migration rate is individuals leaving for other states and union territories within India. The report further breaks this down by what percentage of these are for employment related reasons, specifically for men as the women migrating for employment is more negligible (as low as 1.7%). It found that of Haryana’s 29% migration rate, 54.7% was for employment, and for Punjab’s 29.3% it was 44.4%, against the national average of 49.6%. It is important to note that the ILO’s report looks at the rates in 2021, which are likely influenced by the pandemic. Though this report looks at internal migration, it doesn’t fare better for external migration. Of the 332 Indian migrants who had come to the US illegally in 2025, 38% were from Punjab and 33% were from Haryana, as per an article from The Hindu’s Sambavi Parthasarathy.

The issue of migration and employment is complex and influenced by many factors, but a way of impacting it is leveling the playing field for everyone from the earliest stages. Through my host organization of the Department of State Education of Haryana, a key aspect of my work has been through the NIPUN Haryana mission and developing foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) skills in all children from grades 1-3. FLN is important for a child’s future development, with it being linked to higher employability and improved future life outcomes as per the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister in the 2023 State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy. The report goes on to state that when children don’t achieve FLN, they tend to fall behind and will keep falling behind. In Haryana currently, 23.6% of children in grade 3 can read a grade 2 text, while 60% can recognize numbers up to 100, showcasing how early the inequality that creates out-migration and emigration begins. The NIPUN Haryana mission is part of the national NIPUN Bharat campaign to develop FLN in all children, with each state mission following guidelines from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), but also developing best practices of their own and sharing solutions.

A group of teachers doing a training exercise for the NIPUN mission. — A group of teachers doing a training exercise on teaching FLN. (Photo courtesy of the NIPUN Haryana Mission webpage.)

FLN activities done in Haryana are extensive. The development of teaching learning materials has been one such feature, with these being guidebooks for teachers that help them be aware of goals for their students and how to make use of other tools they are provided. These take the form of weekly cue cards sent via WhatsApp, or teacher guidebooks that break down textbook material. Furthermore, there is a comprehensive teacher professional development training system, which trains teachers on how to make use of the tools available to them. In addition, monitors provide support by testing students, observing classrooms, and providing feedback to teachers, all of which is recorded on the mentor app and used as data for the government to improve FLN activity. As my project develops, I will be assisting the NIPUN Haryana mission by providing communication and outreach support, particularly through the #MaiBhiNIPUN social media campaign.

The findings around FLN and the focus on development is deeply intertwined with the present out-migration and emigration happening in Haryana; it highlights that at its core this is actually a crisis of opportunity. FLN on its own is not the key to solving this issue, but the equal opportunity and access it can create is a necessary building block to do so.

A poster/social media post for the #MaiBhiNIPUN social media campaign. It features a student with the text "are you a NIPUN student?", followed by core competencies. — A design I made for the #MaiBhiNIPUN outreach campaign. This one specifically targets students. (Photo courtesy of the author.)

Sources:

International Labor Organization. “India Employment Rate 2024.” Accessed November 13, 2025.https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/India%20Employment%20-%20web_8%20April.pdf

Manav, Sushil. “Haryana Is Caught in a Paradox. 3rd in per Capita Income, yet 75% There Live below Poverty Line.” ThePrint, March 20, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://theprint.in/economy/haryana-is-caught-in-a-paradox-3rd-in-per-capita-income-yet-75-there-live-below-poverty-line/2442719/.

Parthasarathy, Sambavi. “Most Deportees from the US are from Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat.” The Hindu, February 19, 2025. Accessed November 13, 2025. https://www.thehindu.com/data/most-deportees-from-the-us-are-from-punjab-haryana-and-gujarat/article69233846.ece

Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. “State of Foundational Literacy and Numeracy.” Accessed November 13, 2025. https://eacpm.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FLN-report-For-Web.pdf

Author

Gursimran Singh Padda

Being from Queens, New York, Gursimran had the opportunity to grow up in an incredibly diverse community. The constant exposure to different people, cultures, and their stories shaped his interest in community development. It was through studying Globalization Studies at Stony Brook University where he furthered his understanding of conflict resolution and problem solving in an international context, knowledge he used to further his interest in community development and develop as a global changemaker. Gursimran was highly involved on campus as a student leader. He served as the Vice President of his university’s UNICEF chapter, where he directed various fundraising initiatives aimed at addressing sustainable development goals. Notably he collaborated with a local NGO to deliver 50 feminine hygiene kits to at-risk women in his area. Outside of his student leadership, Gursimran also worked in policy and advocacy in New York. He worked as a Budget Policy Intern with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, where he assisted in managing a coalition of 100 organizations advocating for progressive policy in New York City. He had also improved communications strategies and developed outreach guides and toolkits for the organization’s partners. He additionally worked with the National Association of Higher Education Systems as a consultant, where he utilized data to develop reports and visualizations to further the organization’s cause of advocating for migrant rights in New York State. With the American India Foundation (AIF) Banyan Impact Fellowship, Gursimran aims to further develop his skills in community outreach and development.

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