Kerala’s government and aided schools are witnessing a remarkable surge in the enrollment of migrant students, with Ernakulam district emerging as the frontrunner. In the last academic year alone, 24,061 students from outside Kerala were admitted across various levels — from Lower Primary to Higher Secondary.
Most of these students are children of migrant workers who have relocated to the state in search of employment, reflecting Kerala’s growing role as a hub for labor migration.
Kerala currently hosts an estimated 2.7 million guest workers, with school-going children accounting for nearly one percent of this population. Among foreign nationals enrolled in schools, Nepalese students lead the count at 346, followed by one student each from Sri Lanka and the Philippines, and two from the Maldives.
To ensure a smooth academic journey, Kerala’s public schools have rolled out several supportive measures — including Malayalam language classes — to help these students adapt and integrate into the local education system.
This steady rise in migrant student numbers underscores Kerala’s evolving demographic profile and highlights the state’s commitment to inclusive education policies that embrace diversity and promote equal learning opportunities for all.
