Understanding Educational Mobility: An In-depth Analysis of Higher Education Migration Among Tribal Students in Ladakh

Migration and its processes are not new phenomena. It is a product of both nature and human activities. Recently, student migration has been a topic of discussion among educationists and social scientists, impacting the region from which students migrate, either temporarily or permanently. The present study attempts to understand why students migrate from Ladakh and what causes such movements. For this purpose, a descriptive study was conducted on 240 college-going students who were seeking admission to other cities to pursue advanced higher education degrees. The ‘Lee Theory of Migration’ was used as a theoretical framework, and the findings suggest that issues such as the unavailability of higher education institutions within students’ vicinity, along with harsh terrain and inadequate human and material resources, such as no heating facilities in college during extreme temperatures, are contributing factors leading to migration.