Youth Exodus from Chitwan: Seeking Education and Employment Abroad 

- Uttam Sharma

Discussion Type: Research Seminar Series | Date: 01 Dec 2024 | Time: 03:00 PM

Details

1 December 2024/१६ मंसीर २०८१ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Research Seminar Series
Youth Exodus from Chitwan: Seeking Education and Employment Abroad 
Uttam Sharma, PhD, Research Fellow, Center for Global Health Equity, University of Michigan, USA

About the Speaker
Uttam Sharma has over fifteen years of experience conducting research in Bangladesh, Kenya, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda on programs related to education, health, labor markets, and agriculture. He is keen to explore how learning and health quality can be improved in developing countries such as Nepal. He received his Ph. D. in Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. and M.A. in Economics from Brandeis University and the University of Maryland, respectively.

Abstract
Youth migration for work and study from low- and middle-income countries to advanced nations is a growing concern with multifaceted implications affecting families and communities in their places of origin. Despite rising aspirations to migrate, the drivers behind these desires remain under-researched in countries like Nepal. This study aims to address this gap by examining the factors influencing youth and parental aspirations for youth migration abroad using a largely representative data from 1,953 youths from Western Chitwan, Nepal. Using longitudinal data collected from grade 8 in 2018 and five years later, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of migration aspirations.
The findings indicate that 87% of youths and 63% of parents anticipate youth’s overseas migration for work or study. Logistic regression analysis reveals that factors such as gender, ethnicity, household income, private school attendance, and academic performance in grade 8 significantly influence aspirations for studying abroad. Results from multinomial logistic regression analysis suggest that academically better-performing youths are more likely to prefer staying in Nepal rather than going abroad for work. Interestingly, parents of better-performing youths are not more likely to prefer that their children go abroad for study over staying in Nepal, even after accounting for their background characteristics.

- Uttam Sharma

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