The doubly vulnerable on the move: Educational situation of ethnic minority migrant children in urban China

This is one of the initial studies investigating the educational challenges faced by ethnic minority migrant children in eastern China. Prior scholarship has well documented pressing issues relating to migrant children. However, there is limited research on ethnic minority migrant children, despite their growing presence in Chinese cities. Drawing from data collected during thirteen months of fieldwork with Hui and Salar migrant children in the Han-dominated city of Shanghai, this article illuminates the institutional and non-institutional exclusion they encounter during both school enrolment and integration. Enrolment policies impose severe restrictions on the ability of ethnic minority migrant children to access compulsory education in Shanghai. Beyond these institutional barriers, Hui and Salar children also face widespread exclusions and discrimination even after successfully enrolling in schools. In Shanghai state schools, including dedicated ethnic minority schools, appropriate formal support for minority migrant children is lacking. It thus falls to individual teachers to provide ad-hoc support for students, which may do more harm than good. Ethnic minority migrant children and their families respond to their disadvantageous situation in a variety of ways, depending on their circumstances, future plans, and understanding of their identity. Some Salar and Hui children are encouraged by parents to prioritise preserving their ethnic identities, forsaking opportunities for integration, while others are urged to assimilate with Han peers by relinquishing attempts to maintain distinct ethnic identities. These choices also influence their attitudes toward school education. •Ethnic minority migrant children (EMMC) in China face school exclusion, both institutional and non-institutional.•Enrolment policies impose severe restrictions on the ability of EMMC to access compulsory education in Shanghai.•After overcoming institutional barriers, EMMC still face widespread exclusion and discrimination in schools.•EMMC respond to their situation differently based on their circumstances, future plans, and identity awareness.•EMMC, a unique migrant subgroup, face challenges accessing resources, responding similarly to internationally moving counterparts.