Hukou system effects on migrant children’s education in China: Learning from past disparities

Abstract

Without an urban hukou, or registered residency status, migrant workers in China have experienced an urban–rural cultural divide. Rural workers who migrate to urban areas are socially excluded from the urban mainstream because of hukou national policy and region-specific regulations. In 2014, hukou policy was revised to gradually allow migrant children to receive public education in cities; however, migrants are still challenged by social exclusion and discrimination. This study discusses hukou policy that integrates migrant children into the mainstream educational system and analyzes the social welfare benefits of its policy reforms. It recommends policy to address China’s ‘returned children’ phenomenon.

Editorial introduction: Situated agency in the context of research on children, migration, and family in Asia

“…While this fairly mature literature on children and their families in global south‐to‐north migrations is instructive for other parts of the world, there are also significant regional variations. Within Asia, research on children migrating with their families to varying educational, health, and well‐being outcomes tend to predominate in the context of internal migration in countries such as China and India (see Coffey, ; Goodburn, ; Liang & Chen, ; Wang, Hu, & Yin, ; S. Zhou & Cheung, ). Given that the prevailing international migration regime in the region produces temporary forms of labour migrations while proscribing permanent settlement, the bulk of the studies on children and transnational migration has concentrated on different forms of split family living arrangements.…”

“…Within Asia, research on children migrating with their families to varying educational, health, and well-being outcomes tend to predominate in the context of internal migration in countries such as China and India (see Coffey, 2013;Goodburn, 2014;Liang & Chen, 2007;Wang, Hu, & Yin, 2017;S. Zhou & Cheung, 2017).…”

Relaxation in the Chinese Hukou System: Effects on Psychosocial Wellbeing of Children Affected by Migration

“…Hukou restrictions have long been blamed for pushing rural migrant workers to the margins of urban society. In many larger cities, migrant children are prevented from enrolling in public schools, so they attend migrant schools, which typically have poor facilities and unqualified teachers [16]…”

Comparative Study of Life Quality Between Migrant Children and Local Students in Small and Medium-Sized Cities in China

“…However, even today, many civil benefits are still bound to hukou and many migrants still can’t enjoy the same social welfare benefits without local hukou because education and other social welfare of migrant children was not the responsibility of the destination city government according to the system of compulsory education funding. Many migrant children are still challenged by social exclusion and discrimination (Zhou & Cheung, 2017 ). The problem of migrant children in China has become a unique social issue in the social transformation of China and to understand their current situation is of great realistic and theoretical significance thanks to the particularity of household registration and the huge number.…”

“…Compared with those mega-cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, small and medium-sized cities have less pressure of population and have gradually revised their hukou policies (local household registration) which allow migrant children to receive public education in cities and integrates them into the mainstream educational system (Zhou & Cheung, 2017 ). These entitlements will encourage increasing numbers of migrant children to enter in small and medium-sized cities whose urban resident population is less than 1,000,000 persons.…”