A Comparative Study on Educational Attainment of Migrant and Non-Migrant Households in Rural Areas of Tangail District in Bangladesh

It is usually believed that there is variation in educational attainment between migrant and non-migrant households. Therefore, the objective of this study was to find out the differences in educational attainment of the households in terms of migration status. Primary data were collected through structured interview schedule from 100 non-migrant and 100 migrant households of four villages under two upazilas in Tangail District, Bangladesh. Various indicators of educational attainment were analyzed by using descriptive statistics with a comparison between migrant and non-migrant households. Findings revealed that the number of school going children is lower in migrant households than that of non-migrant households. However, in migrant households, the percentages of primary and secondary levels of education are higher whereas, the percentage of tertiary level of education is higher in non-migrant households. The educational expenditure is comparatively lower and the percentage of total dropout is bit higher in migrant households than that of the non-migrant households. It can be concluded that remittances do not always trigger the educational attainment of the left behind children. Therefore, proper investment of remittances on education should be ensured in order to improve the educational attainment of migrant households.