Education, Occupational Aspiration and Religious Orientation

There are only a few Chinese families settled in North Bengal, concentrated in the towns of Siliguri and Kalimpong. The Chinese have on an average been a literate community but few of them continued for post-secondary education. The reasons were that many of them were engaged in business at an early age which was much more lucrative and on the other hand some people were struggling to maintain their establishment. Economic challenges left little time and recourses to concentrate on education. However, since the community has prospered and with time, parents increasingly opt to send their children to school. These days, the occupational needs of the Chinese youth in North Bengal can be divided into two categories, either to migrate abroad or to be a successful businessman. It is perceptible that Chinese in India are conscious with regard to the education of their children. English-medium schools are the preferred institutions and for this the Chinese have adopted another strategy—that of conversion to Christianity. Since Christians have some concessions in the admission process, in Convent schools, many Chinese see conversion as a solely utilitarian issue