Unit -8- Population Education and Schools

 Population Education and Schools-Scope of population education in schools,

 Teacher role in creating awareness of population problems
 Method and approaches: Inquiry approach, Observation, Self study, Discussion,
Assignment
 Use of mass media (Newspapers, Radio, T.V) and Audio-Visual Aids

The children of today are the citizens of tomorrow. The importance of providing
population education right from the primary level has been established beyond doubt.
Various committees, conferences and workshops on population education held in India and in
other countries have suggested the inclusion of different aspects of population education in
school curriculum.

Two approaches are generally used to provide population education in schools:

1. Separate subject approach, where population education is included as a

separate and independent subject;
2. Integrated approach, where the contents of population education are
integrated with already existing curricular subjects like history, geography,
maths, science, social studies etc. The integrated approach can be adopted by
using two different approaches: Unit approach, in which separate unit of
population education is integrated into an existing subject; and Infusion
approach, in which contents of population education are infused into already
existing units.

Population education programmes in the country owe their origin to the

National Seminar on Population Education held at Bombay on August 2-3, 1969
under the joint auspices of the Union Ministries of Education and Youth
Services and of Health and Family Planning.
The seminar recommended that population education be introduced in the
curriculum of schools and colleges.
It further recommended that a separate Population Education Cell be
established in the NCERT in order to develop suitable curricula on population
education.
During the decade 1970-80, efforts were initiated to develop curricula,
teaching units and to revise teacher education programme in the country.
 National Population Policies announced in 1976 and 1977 stressed the
need to introduce population education in schools.
The joint meeting of all the Boards of Secondary Education in the country
held in New Delhi in September 1978 unanimously decided to introduce
population education in schools and teacher training institutions.
NCERT conducted a base-line status survey in 1979-80 and organised
four regional seminar-cum-workshops before embarking upon a challenging and
prestigious National Population Education Project (NPEP).
A number of Population Education: Concept and Development curricular,
textual, instructional and source materials were developed as a preparation for
launching the Project in schools and other educational institutions in the States
and Union Territories.
The Government of India entered into an agreement with the United
Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA). The National Population
Education Project was launched aiming at the institutionalisation of population
education in the existing education system.
The National Policy on Education (adopted in 1986) identified NPEP as a
thrust area in school education.
National Curriculum Framework (2005) that guides the school curriculum
across the country also recognized Population Education as an important area in
school education. With National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) as the co-ordinating agency the program works through both co-
curricular and curricular formats.
Roughly the following contents find place in school curriculum as per the
guidelines laid down by the NCF-2005 and the NCERT.

For primary levels:

1. Population and social life:
a. Population growth and its social causes
 b. Population growth and superstitions
c. Population growth and standard of life
d. Population growth and beggar problem
e. Population growth and its impact on social life
2. Population and economic life:
a. Population growth and food problem
b. Population growth and per capita income
c. Population growth and unemployment
d. Population growth and shortage of daily needs
3. Population and environment:
a. Population growth and pollution of air, water, soil, noise
b. Population growth and natural calamities
4. Population and family life:
a. Disadvantages of early marriage
b. Universality of marriage
c. Population growth and lack of care, love, affection
d. Standard of living
e. Small family for better quality of life
5. Population and health:
a. Population growth and diseases
b. Population growth and poor medical facilities
c. Population growth and medicines, health care workers including
doctors
d. Need to have fewer children (healthy mother healthy child)
e. Hygiene and cleanliness
f. Population and nutrition
6. Population and education:
a. Population growth and poor quality of education
b. Overcrowded classes
 c. Shortage of school, college, teacher
d. Illiteracy
7. Demography:
a. Size, structure and composition of population at national and local
levels
b. Causes and consequences of Population growth

For secondary levels:

1. Population and social life:

a. Marriage, necessity and its proper age
b. Disadvantages of early marriage
c. Superstitions and prejudices
d. Population growth and quality of life
2. Population and economic life:
a. Population growth and per capita income
b. Population growth and national income
c. Population growth and price rise
d. Population growth and unemployment
3. Demography:
a. Size, trend, composition of population of India and World
b. Causes and consequences of population growth
c. Mortality, fertility, migration
d. Population policy
e. Birth rate and death rate
f. Methods of family planning
g. Population projection
4. Population and physiology
a. Human physiology
b. Human reproduction
 c. Knowledge about HIV/AIDS and STD’s
5. Population and environment:
a. Population growth and pollution of air, water, soil, noise
b. Effects of pollution on human life
c. Better environment for better living

Role of teacher in creating awareness of population problems:

Teachers play important role in any scheme of education. Population education

too is not an exception. Teachers play very important role in the creation of
favourable learning situation, development of curriculum and teaching learning
materials, linking population education with other subjects, removing
misconceptions surrounding population education and so on. The role of the
teacher in this regard can be outlined as follows:

 Creating favourable atmosphere for teaching of population education

 Integrating the major population phenomena with the curriculum
 Helping in changing the traditional attitude of people towards population
education.
 Motivating students to study population related issues.
 Presenting the concepts of population education accurately before the
students.
 Developing teaching learning materials for population education
 Developing and using audio-visual aids for population education.
 Developing and/or teaching methods and strategies and using them in
classroom effectively.
 Evaluating the achievement of students, effectiveness of teaching
materials, methods and strategies.
 Conducting research on population education, authoring books, writing
articles etc.
 Organizing workshops and seminar etc aimed to address the issues of
population education.
 Acquiring in depth knowledge about the policies and programmes of govt
with regard to the issue of population.
 Collecting and analyzing the latest data about population.
  Planning and developing curriculum and studying the effectiveness of
curriculum.
 Playing the role as an agent of social change.
 Trying to change the negative attitude of people towards population
education.
 Trying to develop positive attitude towards small family norm among the
people.
 Creating awareness about the impact of population growth on the
environment and the quality of life of the people.

Method and approaches: Inquiry approach, Observation, Self study, Discussion,

Assignment:

INQUIRY METHOD
Inquiry method of imparting instruction is a learner centred technique or approach. It
is a method of development. In this method the child is lead to discover the truth by himself.
This method is similar to problem solving method. Inquiry may be developed as an
educational device, whereby the teacher and the pupils attempt a conscious, planned and
purposeful effort to arrive at an explanation or solution to some educationally significant
difficulty.
BASIC PRINCIPALS OF INQUIRY METHOD
 The problem of inquiry should be judiciously selected. It should be real, interesting
and suitable. It should be selected according to age need mental and physical
capacities and resourcefulness of the students. It must be related to the life of the
students. It must be thought provoking and correlated with the previous knowledge
and social and physical environment of the students. It must be educationally useful,
activity oriented, clear and definite. It must have possible solution. It must have
relationship with the curricular organisation and free from financial strains.
 While selecting the problem students must be given freedom. It should not be
imposed on them.
 It must be stated clearly. It must be defined clearly. The students must be able to keep
it in mind while working on it.
 The teacher should provide congenial environment for solving the problem of inquiry.
 Every subject has its own problems the subject of population education is also full of
problems, where we can make use of inquiry method Examples are;
· Unfavourable sex ratio
· Low female literacy rate
· Population growth & soil erosion
· Family size and quality of life
· Why people migrate to urban areas etc.

The basic approach followed in the Inquiry method is to;

i. Creation of problem
ii. Discovery of facts
iii. Formation of hypothesis
iv. Drawing of conclusion.
ROLE OF TEACHER
· The teacher should be a great reader, interested in getting information and keep his
knowledge up to date.
· He should have spirit of Inquiry and spirit of scientific investigation
· He should suggest different sources of information to the student and cultivate in them the
habit of reading books.
· He should be expert in the art of asking questions and should have friendly attitude towards
his pupils
· He should encourage students to ask questions
· He should encourage mental activity in the children
· He should maintain democratic atmosphere in the classroom
· He should be able democratic atmosphere in the classroom
· He should be able to devise problems of inquiry for different categories of pupils.
· He should be patient enough to observe the activities of learners.
MERITS
i. Inquiry methods help in stimulating thinking
ii. It develops power of reasoning and imagination
iii. It helps to improve knowledge
iv. It helps in developing good study habits
v. The problem is solved by the joint efforts of many students. This develops unity
cooperation and tolerance among them.
vi. The students learn to be self-reliant and self dependent
vii. Discussion helps to develop the power of expression of the students
viii. This method helps the teacher to know in detail his pupils. The teacher comes to know
about the level of educational attainment of the pupils and accordingly guides.
ix. It helps in the maintenance of discipline. The students remain busy to find answer to their
own problem
x. Knowledge is easily assimilated as a result of purposeful activity
xi. It develops the potential of critical judgement
xii. It helps a learner to act in a new situation
xiii. The students are active participants in the act of learning and not passive listeners to the
lectures of the teacher.
DEMERITS
i. It involves only mental activity and no physical activity
ii. This method is not suitable for lower classes, where students lack sufficient background
information
iii. It is time consuming and entire syllabus cannot be completed by applying this strategy
iv. It is dull & monotonous at times.

OBSERVATION METHOD
Population is dynamic and never static. The subject matter of population education is
size of population and its impact on socio-economic development of an individual family,
community and the nation. Population education deals with the study of people. Its subject
matter is concrete and realistic. We can observe people living and earning their living. We
can observe the people multiplying on the surface of the earth. We can observe people
utilizing the natural resources for improving the standard of life and making their life
comfortable. We can see people migrating from place to place. The various attributes of
population can be seen and studied directly. Observation constitutes the direct or firsthand
experience of real and concrete objects or things. It has close connection with sense
experience. Observation is basic to both scientific inquiry and artistic expression.
According to A.B. Alcott, “observation more than books and experience rather than
persons are prime educators.”
According to John Deway:- An ounce of experience is better than a ton of theory,
because it is only through an experiences that any theory has vital and variable significance.”
 The technique of obtaining information about various attributes of population by
direct observation is basic to the subject. It is very difficult for pupils in a classroom to
understand certain basic facts about the population, if they are not given opportunity to
observe these facts themselves. We should bear in mind that description about various
attributes of population is based on the observation of some people.
MERITS
 Observation method makes teaching and learning easy, vivid interesting and
purposeful
 Learning through observation technique improves the quality of education.
 Observation method develops among students social qualities like cooperation, unity,
team spirit, brotherhood, friendship, sympathy etc.
 This method develops self reliance, self confidence, and self dependence.
 This method breaks the dullness and monotony of classroom teaching
 Children have curiosity to see & observe the realities by themselves. This method
satisfies their natural urges.
 This method leaves permanent impression on the minds of the students
 Students explore the facts by themselves.
 This method is scientific and psychological.
DEMERITS
 If observation is conducted aimlessly, it may degenerate into aimless wandering.
 It is time consuming and expensive
 It is likely to upset the school time table
 It is not suitable for lower classes where the pupils lack the power of purposeful
observation
 It requires trained teachers in large numbers
 Sometimes parents are found reluctant in sending their children for observation.

SELF STUDY METHOD

No two individuals are alike. Individuals differ in their habits, interest’s, ideas,
thoughts, actions, attitudes, aptitudes, feelings etc. Similarly, students in a class also differ in
their habits, attitudes, previous knowledge, intelligence and most importantly in their learning
styles. Self study refers to methods that the individual learner uses to study or learn through
his/her self efforts/independent efforts.
 As a teaching device self study may be defined as an attempt on the part of teacher to
persuade students to pick the path of independent learning resulting in the habit of acquiring
knowledge or skills through his own independent efforts. Self study is a good study habit and
fruitful exercise for acquiring knowledge, information and skills. Once the self study habit is
picked up by the student, teaching becomes objective centred. For the success of this method
teacher himself has to demonstrate the skill of self study before students. He should provide
essential resources and facilities for carrying out the independent study. He/she must inspire
and encourage the students for carrying out the independent study for the realisation of
educational objectives. The role of the teacher in this method is very crucial as he plays the
role of a guide and a facilitator of the learning process rather than a dictator.

MERITS:-
 This method of learning develops personality traits like self reliance, self dependence,
and self confidence among the learners.
 It removes passivity and develops creativity among the students.
 It broadens the mental horizon of the students
 It develops intellectual capacities of the students and could be used for acquiring
knowledge & information
 The self study method makes the students to utilize the leisure time properly to enrich
& increase their fund of knowledge and information.
 It help learner to study any subject of interest
 It makes learners systematic and organised
DISADVANTAGES:-
 It does not have teacher to correct mistakes
 This technique is not suitable for lower classes
 Without interest and attitude for self study, it is mere wastage of time and energy on
part of the students
 In the absence of conducive and good environment and facilities, it does not yield
worthwhile results.
 Teachers may use it as a good excuse for not teaching in the class.

DISCUSSED METHOD:
 Discussion is a cooperative method in which the pupils and the teachers are the active
participants. It is also a democratic method of imparting instructions because the participants
are free to express their opinions and views. Discussion method has been used in teaching
learning process since time immemorial. It has been widely used in famous Nalanda
University. The Greak scholars also used this method to discuss various problems and issues
with their disciples. This method forms an important method in teaching learning process
even during modern times. In fact, its importance is increasing day by day.
Webster dictionary defines discussions in the following manner, “To discuss means to
consider, to examine to investigate the various sides of a question or a topic or a problem...
This technique is essential for democratic process.”
In discussion there is exchange of opinions and a search for facts. The participants are
involved in competitive cooperation. It aims at uniting and integrating the work of class.
Teacher’s job is to provide guidance to the student’s activities. A good discussion is well
planned and well mannered conversation and as such participants must be courteous, clear,
good natured, tolerant and sincere. Discussion involves study and preparation, selection and
organisation of subject matter, exchange of ideas & learning procedures. It is invaluable in
training students in reflective thinking.
Discussion may be formal or informal. In formal discussion proper schedule is
prepared and certain rules are observed. The informal discussion takes place informally,
where discussion does not demand any schedule or observance of rules.
Group discussion may be organised on any topic or issue of population education.
Some important issues are family size, quality of life, causes of infant mortality, population
growth and environmental pollution, population growth and economic & social development
causes of unfavourable sex ratio in India, low Literacy level among females, religion and
population growth etc.
ADVANTAGES
 Discussion helps to improve self expression. It provides opportunity to every
participant to express his/her views on the topic of discussion.
 It is a process of collective decision making
 It develops higher mental abilities like critical and logical thinking
 This method discourages rote memory and cramming. It provides right approach for
acquiring knowledge and information and leads to better understanding of the
problem or topic.
  Discussion develops right attitude, courtesy, clarity, patience, tolerance and sincerity
among the participants.
 It is a democratic way of acquiring knowledge and information
 In this method students are active participants and not just passive listeners.
 It develops problem solving attitude & creativity
 Discuss is useful both for seniors as well as juniors
 Develops leadership quality.
.
LIMITATIONS
 Discussion is not useful for all topics, units or problems
 It has a great chance for deviation from the main topics. It is likely to go off the track.
 In discussion there is room for monopolisation. Most of the times only a few students
dominate and monopolize the situation. Large number of students fails to participate
in the situation.
 This method is not always suitable for lower classes.
 Discussion may degenerate into aimless talking & wastage of time.
 It is time consuming and does not provide first hand information and direct
experience to the educand.
ASSIGMENT METHOD
Assignment means work that is allotted to individual pupils or to a group. It is useful for the
child in the sense that it is a step toward self education. It enables the child to use his own
resources and abilities leading to self dependence and creativity. This method is relatively
interesting and it recognises the individual differences among learners. It can develop insight
and understanding among pupils.
There are various types of assignments that can be used to develop students’ higher order
thinking skills writing skills, presentation skills and /or collaborative and interpersonal skills.
Examples are: Essays, research papers, oral presentations, projects, case studies, laboratory
experiments, etc.
IMPORTANCE OF ASSIGNEMENTS:-
 Assignments create interest and attention of the students and hence motivate them to
study
 Assignments supplement the teaching work done in classroom
 This method of instruction stimulates thinking and develops insight and understanding
  It is active method and keeps child busy.
 It develops self study habits among students
 It develops the habit of reading which goes long way in the pursuit of knowledge
 It leads to self reliance, self confidence and self dependence
 It develops power of independent and individual work among the children
DRAWBACKS
 Assignments may cause physical & mental strain for students
 Teachers sometimes use home assignments as a means of punishing the students
 Assignments add to the burden of teachers. If overburdened teachers fail to check
assignments carefully, the purpose and utility of assignments is defeated
 It is a dull and monotonous method of learning and is devoid of recreation &
entertainment
 Psychology of education says that learning should be enjoyable and this method goes
against that.

Use of mass media (Newspapers, Radio, T.V) and Audio-Visual Aids:

Mass media is very useful in achieving the objectives of population education. Creating
awareness about various aspects of population among the people including students is one of
the major objectives of population education. The scope of population education includes
information and statistics about population, health, environment, food and nutrition,
economic development and many other aspects. Such information and statistics always keep
changing. Therefore, in order to enrich students with ever changing and new knowledge and
information, it is very important to use mass-media besides textbooks. The major needs or
importance of using mass media in population education may be summarised as under:

 Mass media motivates students about various aspects of learning materials through
attractive means of presentation.
 The scope of population education is very wide. Mass-media extend help in covering
the different aspects of the wide content included in the scope of population
education.
 Mass media in education can solve the problem of time interval. Mass media can
effectively store the events happened in the past and present them before students
when required.
 Mass media can give wide publicity to important information.
 Mass media help students to understand and retain what they learn.
  Mass media, through various entertainment based programmes, can attract the
attention of people towards the important issues relating to the problem of population.
 Mass media can create general awareness about population problems among educated
as well as uneducated people.
 Mass media can reach out to large number of people very effectively with economy of
time and money.

(The role of newspaper, radio and TV in population education is to understood in the context
of above mentioned points.)

Like mass media, audio-visual aids are also very important in educating literate as well as
illiterate people about population. The most useful feature of audio-visual aids is that they
appeal to more than one sensory channel of the learners. Following types of audio-visual aids
may be utilised in population education.

 Auditory aids:
o Radio
o Gramophone
o Tape recorder/CD player
 Visual aids
o Blackboard
o Pictures
o Model
o Maps
o Sketch and diagrams
o Slide and films
o Bulletin board
o Globe
o Projector
o Musical instrument etc
 Auditory cum Visual aids
o Motion pictures
o TV
o Dramatization
 Activity aids
o Filed visit and excursions
o Specimen
o Objects and models
o Collections etc
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