course 6573 AIOU

Roll number CA542673

Name Abu Bakar Raza

Address Dist and Tehsil Swabi Kala Khuro

Level Post-Graduation

Program Master

Master Master in Education

st
Assigment 1
Q.1 Describe the nature, scope and importance of population studies in detail. (20)

Ans. Nature of population studies

The word „Demography‟ is a combination of two Greek words, „Demos‟ meaning people and „Graphy‟
meaning science. Thus demography is the science of people. In the middle of the nineteenth century in
1855, the word „Demography‟ was first used by a French writer Achille Guillard.

Even though, the term “Population Studies” is more popular, the word „Demography‟ is under wider use
these days. It is considered an important subject capable of throwing light on the nature of population
education.

Scope of Demography:

The scope of demography is very wide. It includes the subject matter of demography, is it a micro or
macro study? Whether it is a science or art? These are vexed questions about the scope of demography
about which there is no unanimity among writers on demography. We discuss them as under:

1. Subject Matter of Demography:

The subject matter of demography has become very vast in recent years.
The study of demography encompasses the following:

a. Size and Shape of Population:

Generally, the size of population means the total number of persons usually residing in a definite area at a
definite time. The size and shape of population of any region, state or nation are changeable. It is because
every country has its own unique customs, specialities, social-economic conditions, cultural atmosphere,
moral values, and different standards for acceptance of artificial means of family planning and availability
of health facilities, etc.

All these factors affect the size and shape of the population and if these factors are studied with reference
to any area under demography, we can clearly understand the role they play in determining the shape and
size of the population.

b. Aspects Related to Birth Rate and Death Rate:

Birth rate and death rate are the decisive factors that influence the size and shape of the population and
therefore their importance in population studies is crucial. In addition to these, factors like marriage rate,
belief regarding social status and marriage, age of marriage, orthodox customs related to marriage, early
marriage and its effects on the health of the mother and the child, child infanticide rate, maternal death,
still birth, resistance power, level of medical services, availability of nutritious food, purchasing power of
the people, etc. also affect the birth and death rate.

c. Composition and Density of Population:

In the subject matter of demography, the study of composition and density of population is important. In
the composition of population factors like the sex ratio, race wise and age- group wise size of population,
the ratio of rural and urban population, distribution of population according to religion and language,
occupational distribution of population, agricultural and industrial structure and per sq. km. density of
population are very important.With this type of information regarding the possibilities of development in
that particular area, social-economic problems of the area, problems created due to increase in urban
population, and density of population form part of population studies.

Socio-Economic Problems:

Out of the many problems relating to population growth, the effects of high density due to
industrialization in the urban areas are of more importance as they affect the socio-economic life of the
people. Problems like slum areas, polluted air and water, crime, addiction to liquor, juvenile delinquency,
and prostitution, are also important subjects of study in demography.

Quantitative and Qualitative Aspects:

Along with the quantitative problems of population, the qualitative problems also form part of population
studies. Moreover, the study of demography includes the availability of physicians in the total population,
number of hospitals, the number of beds in hospitals, expectation of life at birth, daily availability of
minimum calories, resistance power, advertisement of family planning programme and its development,
the changes brought in the attitudes of people regarding child birth and adequate medical facility for
delivery, etc.

Importance of Demography:

With the majority of developing countries facing population explosion, the study of population and its
problems has become very important in every sphere of an economy.

(1) For the Economy:

The study of demography is of immense importance to an economy. Population studies help us to know
how far the growth rate of the economy is keeping pace with the growth rate of population. If population
is increasing at a faster rate, the pace of development of the economy will be slow. The government can
undertake appropriate measures to control the growth of population and to accelerate the development of
the economy.

Rapid population growth reduces per capita income, lowers the standard of living, plunges the economy
into mass unemployment and under employment, brings environmental damage and puts a burden on
existing social infrastructure. Population studies highlight these problems of the economy to be solved by
the government.

(2) For Society:

Population studies have much importance for the society. When population is increasing rapidly, the
society is faced with innumerable problems. Shortages of basic services like water, electricity, transport
and communications, public health, education, etc. arise.

Along with these, problems of migration and urbanisation are associated with the growing population
which further lead to the law and order problem. Faced with such problems which are the concomitant
result of population growth, the state and non-government social organisations can adopt appropriate
measures to solve them.

(3) For Economic Planning:

Data relating to the present trend in population growth help the planners in formulating policies for the
economic plan of the country. They are kept in view while fixing targets of agricultural and industrial
products, of social and basic services like schools and other educational institutions, hospitals, houses,
electricity, transport, etc.

Population data are also used by the planners to project future trends in fertility and to formulate policy
measures to control the birth rate.

Based on population data, projections are made about the increase in labour force, and the number of
people in the age-groups 1-15 years, 15-50 years and above in order to estimate the labour force available
for productive employment. This, in turn, helps in making estimates regarding employment to be
generated during the plan period.

(4) For Administrators:

Population studies are also useful for administrators who run the government. In under-developed
countries, almost all social and economic problems are associated with the growth of population. The
administrator has to tackle and find solutions to the problems arising from the growth of population. They
are migration and urbanisation which lead to the coming up of shanty towns, pollution, drainage, water,
electricity, transport, etc. in cities. These require improvement of environmental sanitation, removal of
stagnant and polluted water, slum clearance, better housing, efficient transport system, clean water
supply, better sewerage facilities, control of communicable diseases, provision of medical and health
services, especially in maternal and child welfare by opening health centres, opening of schools, etc.

(5) For Political System:

The knowledge of demography is of immense importance for a democratic political system. It is on the
basis of the census figures pertaining to different areas that the demarcation of constituencies is done by
the election commission of a country. The addition to the number of voters after each election helps to
find out how many have migrated from other places and regions of the country.
Q.2 What is meant by over population? Discuss the consequences of over population and strategies to
overcome it in a developing county like Pakistan.

Ans. Over population

Overpopulation is the state whereby the human population rises to an extent exceeding the carrying
capacity of the ecological setting. In an overpopulated environment, the numbers of people might be more
than the available essential materials for survival such as transport, water, shelter, food or social
amenities. This regularly contributes to environmental deterioration, worsening in the quality of life, or
even the disintegration of the population. It is estimated that about 81 million people add to the world‟s
population annually. Regions with the highest number of population density (the number of people living
in a given region) feel the dire effects and problems of overpopulation. Due to immigration, the decline in
mortality rates, medical breakthroughs, and increased birth rates, populations will always increase and
eventually gives rise to overpopulation.

In human biology, the total number of people living in a given area (such as a country or the entire world)
is constantly changing due to both increases and decreases in deaths and migrations. The terms
“overpopulation” and “population explosion” are used to describe the idea of a growing population with
dwindling resources.

Pakistan‟s total population is 177.1 million, up from 173.5 million the previous year, according to the
Pakistan Economic Survey 2010-11. Pakistan ranks sixth among the world‟s most populous countries,
with a population growth rate of 2.1 percent. Now let‟s discuss the main causes of overpopulation in
Pakistan.

The following are the main consequences of Pakistan’s overpopulation:

Raziq is ALLAH

Muslims believe that God provides food for everyone, including an ant living in a stone. So, why do they
reduce family size?

71 percent have a no or low opportunity cost. In Pakistan, women do not participate in economic
activities. Women do not suffer any financial losses as a result of having a child. In Pakistan, the cost of
having a child is very low, if not zero.
Low Income Per Capita

Per capita income is calculated by dividing national income by the total population. Low per capita
income indicates population growth. Pakistan‟s per capita income is $ 1254.

Unemployment

It is a term used to describe the state of being unemployed. Unemployment is also seen as a sign of
overcrowding. It is difficult to adjust economic activities to accommodate such a large population.
Pakistan has a 5.6 percent unemployment rate.

Extremely Rapid Population Growth

The birth rate is extremely high, indicating that our country is overcrowded. Pakistan has a population
growth rate of 2.1 percent.

More Earning Hands Are Required

In developing countries like Pakistan, a single person cannot support his large family. He believes that
having more children will provide him with more earning potential.

Afghan Refugees

The influx of refugees from India, particularly Afghanistan, has resulted in an increase in population.

Relatively Low Death Rate

Another cause of overpopulation is a decrease in the death rate. In 1951, the death rate was 2.8 percent,
but in 2010-11, it was only 0.73 percent.

Low Living Standards

It has been observed that low-income Pakistanis have more children. It is difficult to provide for such a
large family. As a result, the population‟s living standards are low.

Warm Weather

Because of the warm climate, youth and maturity come early in life. It also has the effect of causing rapid
population growth.
Family Planning Isn’t Available

In Pakistan, there is no effective family planning. The methods of family planning are unfamiliar to most
people. They are hesitant to seek medical advice.

Joint Family System

In a joint family system, there is competition among family members based on the size of the family. It is
also a factor in children‟s rapid growth.

Early Marriages

In Pakistan, marriages usually take place between the ages of 16 and 22. The time it takes to re-
productivity is extremely long. Consult Gynecologist if you need any information on early reproductivity.

Illiteracy

It is a condition in which a person is unable to read or write. People are unaware of the economic
problems caused by a high birth rate due to a lack of education. Pakistan has a literacy rate of 57.7%.

Population Inefficiency

In our county, the dependency ratio is extremely high. Only 32.17 percent of the population participates
in economic activities, while the remaining 67.83 percent relies on them. It sees land pressure and
population expulsion as a problem.

Polygamy Experimentation

Polygamy is the state or practice of having multiple wives at the same time. Polygamy is another factor
that contributes to population growth.

Urbanization

It is the first step in the process of becoming a city. Many social issues exist as a result of rural-urban
migration and a lack of infrastructure in cities. As a result, the urban population increases. Overpopulation
is indicated by a higher rate of urbanization.

Low Savings and Investing

In Pakistan, the savings and investment rates of GDP are only 9.5 percent and 13.4 percent, respectively.
Because of the low rate of savings, the rate of investment and employment is also very low. As a result,
these figures suggest that Pakistan is overcrowded.

Inadequate Nutrition

People in Pakistan have a poor diet, which has an impact on their health and ability to work. It lowers per
capita income, indicating a population explosion.

Large Family Concept

Large families are thought to be a source of power for influencing and controlling those around them.
People are proud of their large families.

Vicious Poverty Circle

A rapid increase in the population reduces per capita income, savings, investment, and productivity. As a
result, a country is trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Poverty‟s vicious circle is also a symbol of
overpopulation.

Marriage Universality

Wedlock is entered into by all men and women of marriageable age. As a result, Pakistan‟s birth rate is
higher.

Lack of Alternative Activities

In Pakistan, recreational facilities and employment opportunities are scarce. In Pakistan, passing the time
and any other pleasures are prohibitively expensive. As a result, men have more time with their wives.

In developing countries like Pakistan, a high population growth rate has negative consequences for
economic development. In Pakistan, a high rate of population growth means poverty, illiteracy, a low
standard of living, a lack of prosperity, and a vicious cycle of poverty.
Q.3 What is the rationale of population education and compare the statistics relating to major
population characteristics in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Ans. The rationale of population education

Population education is a response of educational community to the population situation at a given point
of time and place.

The consequences of population development for the socio economic and natural environment and vice-
versa are of such significance that the new generations of young people need to be aware of them.

Clearly, thus, if education is a potent agent of change to be used for improving the quality of life and
aiding the processes of development, population and environmental studies should be the major elements
of educational process.

Population education is basically an educational process whereby individuals learn the causes and
consequences of population phenomenon for themselves, communities and environment. Through
population education it is possible to provide basic information and create awareness of possible and
effective means by which the society as a whole and individuals in particular can respond to population
implications and eventually make rational and informed decisions in order to enhance the quality of life.

Population education emerged from a growing awareness of the importance of population phenomena in
the world such as slow and rapid population growth rates, migration, and urbanization. Essentially it is an
educational response to demographic problems.

For example, a rapidly growing population may outstrip certain resources or make it difficult to meet
basic needs such as jobs, education, and health care, resulting in a threat to the quality of life of people. A
declining population or an aging population may be seen in some cases as a threat to a country‟s economy
or vitality. Migration from rural to urban areas may deplete rural areas of human resources while placing
a strain on urban social services.

It is said, that population education is not an attempt to develop a new discipline but that facts, theories
and concepts are borrowed from a broad spectrum of academic disciplines and professional fields in order
to assist individuals and societies to understand fully population interactions and the effects of population
factors on the quality of these individual and their collective lives.

Demography and folk demography do, however, form the core of the knowledge base on population
education. The sum of all these knowledge bases is referred to as population studies. Thus, population
education embraces the field of population studies which comprises the body of knowledge. concepts, and
theories that describe and attempt to explain the dynamics of human populations and their relationships
with the social, cultural, economic, political, and biological environments. It involves looking into a wide
range of population issues and is, therefore, much broader than family planning or demography.

Because of the nature of population education, a number of other educational activities inevitably share
some of the contents associated with population education. The greatest confusion that arises concerns
population educations related to family-life education, environmental education, and development
education. Family-life Education and Sex education do indeed share certain concerns with population
education, such as human reproduction and life-cycle decision making, but they concentrate on
interpersonal relations and in general have not concerned themselves so far with the consequences of
population decision making on the wider society.

In rather different ways, environmental education and development education also make use of content
drawn from population studies, especially which describes and analyses how population processes operate
in order to understand better nature of social and economic development or the interaction of humans and
the biosphere. However, differences in goals and objectives give population education a separate
identification at the present stage of its development.

There is not sufficient material developed on population education. The problem stems from the fact that
population phenomena affect so many aspects of life at so many different levels i.e. political relations,
resources, the environment, health, social services, education, employment, human rights -that nation‟s
regions, and individuals have differing viewpoints about population questions. These range along a
continuum from those who see population growth as a crisis, as the primary cause of all other social
problems, to those who seek to encourage population growth to help solve social problems.

There is no lack in the diversity of positions. Some contend that population is a false issue, fostered by
some conservative and orthodox groups to divert attention from problems faced by developing nations.
The real problem, they say, is not population growth, but the maldistribution of wealth and resources, the
lack of integrated economic development, overconsumption, and the affluent life-style of many
industrialized nations which pose a more direct threat to the preservation of environment and resources
than the higher population growth rates of the developing nations.
 Bangladesh Pakistan

Population: 169,356,000 231,402,000

Inhabitants/km²: 1,147.2 290.7

Life expectancy males: Ø 70 years Ø 64 years

Life expectancy females: Ø 74 years Ø 69 years

Average age: Ø 27.9 years Ø 22.0 years

Birth rate: 18.05 ‰ 27.97 ‰

Death rate: 5.82 ‰ 7.06 ‰

Migrationrate: -2.90 ‰ -0.96 ‰

India Pakistan

Population: 1,407,564,000 231,402,000

Inhabitants/km²: 428.2 290.7

Life expectancy males: Ø 69 years Ø 64 years

Life expectancy females: Ø 72 years Ø 69 years

Average age: Ø 28.7 years Ø 22.0 years

Birth rate: 16.57 ‰ 27.97 ‰

Death rate: 7.35 ‰ 7.06 ‰

Migrationrate: 0.16 ‰ -0.96 ‰

Q.4 What should be the important functions of population education? Appreciate the

need of different programmes that can help to achieve the goals.

Ans. Important functions of population education.

Population education is the study of human population in relation to his environment with a view to
improve his quality of life without adversely affecting the environment. Population education is broadly
defined as an educational intervention aimed at helping individuals in understanding the interrelationship
between population and development, in appreciating the consequences of population processes and
diversification, in assessing the possible actions that they and their respective families and communities
can take to modify these processes and in carrying out selected actions. It is and based on the premise that
an educational intervention which helps the learners defines problems and…show more content…

Both are closely interrelated and both encompass a number of complex factors. Population issues have
aroused widespread concern among almost all the members of the nations. The rapid population growth
and the problems of poverty, educational facilities, and lack of adequate health, non-fulfilment of even the
basic needs of a vast majority of the population, absence of employment opportunities, diminished natural
resources and consequent environmental degradation constitute critical dimensions of the present
population and development phenomena. It is also relevant to note that the population phenomenon today
embraces issues beyond development. Population education helps and enables us to be aware of the
process and consequence of population growth on the quality of our lives and the environment.

Need and Importance of Population Education:

1. Controlling Population Explosion:

There is an unprecedented population explosion which poses great challenge to the welfare of mankind.
Population education serves as a safety value.

2. Ensuring Quality of Life:

Growing population is a great hindrance in enjoying a satisfying life. Over population puts several checks
on getting necessary commodities needed in life. Population education provides an opportunity as well as
challenge to see how best and through what means we can succeed in creating an urge in every individual
to aspire for a better quality of life.

3. Increasing National Wealth:

Population education helps us to look at the population not only in terms of its number or consumers of
goods and services or natural resources and wealth but also at the producers of National Wealth. When
population is treated as a means of production, it is the quality and not the quantity that matters. It is in
this context that the role of population education becomes vital as it leads us to appreciate productivity,
conservation and maintenance of environment.

4. Moral responsibility:

The welfare, health and all round development of every citizen is the moral responsibility of the state. If
we want all these developments to take place, we have to check out population through population
education.

5. Value orientation:

Population education helps us to develop socially desirable values in our children. It assists us to develop
a sense of equality. It has great potential to develop healthy attitudes and imbibe the spirit of human
affiliation. It indicates how to develop discipline in sexual matters.

6. Getting conscious of certain duties:

The content of population education includes topics on family-life education, sex education, responsible
parenthood, delayed marriages, adolescent fertility, etc to motive people to get conscious of their duties
and modification of their behaviour for respective life.

7. Helpful in understanding the importance of family planning:

In a country like India, where large segment of population inhabits the villages, the programmes of family
planning are gaining large acceptance at the hands of even illiterate couples because of growing
awareness about “Small Family Size”. Mass media, population education volunteers etc have activated
people to realize the value of population control for their survival and stability in this fast changing
modern world.

8. Understanding global problems:

According to Khan, one of the formidable problems which stare us in the faces is our rapid increasing
population, which offsets every endeavour for development. A need is being felt for imparting factual
knowledge about population dynamic, so that the younger generation may understand the nature and
magnitude of the burden imposed by rapid population growth.
Q.5 What is population Phenomenon? Describe the significance of population statistics.

Ans. Population Phenomenon

A population is the complete set group of individuals, whether that group comprises a nation or a group
of people with a common characteristic.

In statistics, a population is the pool of individuals from which a statistical sample is drawn for a study.
Thus, any selection of individuals grouped by a common feature can be said to be a population. A
sample may also refer to a statistically significant portion of a population, not an entire population. For
this reason, a statistical analysis of a sample must report the approximate standard deviation, or standard
error, of its results from the entire population. Only an analysis of an entire population would have no
standard error.

Understanding Populations

In most everyday uses, the word population implies a group of people or at least a group of living
beings. However, statisticians refer to whatever group they are studying as a population. The population
of a study might be babies born in North America in 2021, the total number of tech startups in Asia since
the year 2000, the average height of all accounting examination candidates, or the mean weight of U.S.
taxpayers.

Statisticians and researchers prefer to know the characteristics of every entity in a population to draw the
most precise conclusions possible. This is impossible or impractical most of the time, however, since
population sets tend to be quite large.

For example, if a company wanted to know whether most of its 50,000 customers were satisfied with the
company's service last year, it would be impractical to call every client on the phone to conduct a survey.
A sample of the population must be taken since the characteristics of every individual in a population
cannot be measured due to constraints of time, resources, and accessibility.

How to Calculate a Population

A population can be defined narrowly, such as the number of newborn babies in North America with
brown eyes, the number of startups in Asia that failed in less than three years, the average height of all
female accounting examination candidates, or the mean weight of all U.S. taxpayers over age 30.

The science of political polling offers a good example of the difficulty of selecting a random sampling of
the population. One of the reasons why many of the last two presidential election polls have been wrong
could be that the type of people who willingly answer poll questions may not constitute a random sample
of the population of likely voters. Nonetheless, surveys and polls may be the only efficient way to identify
and validate issues and trends that affect the wider population. For example, growing concerns have been
expressed about harassment online, but how common is it? A study by Pew Research indicates that 41%
of American adults have experienced online harassment, with 11% reporting they had been outright
stalked, and 14% saying they had been physically threatened.

Population vs. Samples

A sample is a random selection of members of a population. It is a smaller group drawn from the
population that has the characteristics of the entire population. The observations and conclusions made
against the sample data are attributed to the population as a whole.

The information obtained from the statistical sample allows statisticians to develop hypotheses about the
larger population. In statistical equations, the population is usually denoted with an uppercase N while the
sample is usually denoted with a lowercase n.

There are several ways to obtain samples (known as sampling) from a population. These include a simple
random sample, stratified sampling, representative sampling, and convenience sampling. Researchers and
analysts employ a range of statistical techniques to infer information about the broader population using
just the smaller sample chosen. Note that sample size is an important issue when conducting such
inference - if the sample is too small it may be biased and not trustworthy, while larger samples may be
overly expensive and time-consuming to collect and analyze.

Population Parameters

A parameter is data based on an entire population. Statistics such as averages (means) and standard
deviations, when taken from populations, are referred to as population parameters. The population mean
and population standard deviation are represented by the Greek letters µ and σ, respectively.
A valid statistic may be drawn from either a population sample or a study of an entire population. The
objective of a random sample is to avoid bias in the results. A sample is random if every member of the
whole population has an equal chance to be selected to participate.

While a parameter is a characteristic of a population, a statistic is a characteristic of a sample. Inferential

statistics enables you to make an educated guess about a population parameter based on a statistic
computed from a sample randomly drawn from that population.

The standard deviation, for example, is the variation of some variable in the population, which can be
inferred from the variation observed in the sample. But, because this is being inferred from a sample,
there will always be some sort of error term describing how likely it is that the analysis from the sample
does not reflect the true standard deviation (or mean, etc.). Various statistical tools like confidence
intervals, the t-test, and p-values can inform an analyst of how confident they might be in making such
inferences.