Introduction

The school curriculum of a country, like its Constitution, reflects the ethos of that country as also its chief concerns. The values enshrined in our Constitution points towards the development of a pluralist open society and a state which is secular, democratic and socialist in nature. The school curriculum should reflect these aims and values in its structure, content, implied methodology - in fact, in its entire design.

The term "curriculum" is derived from the Latin world "currere", which means "run" and its signifies "a run way" or course which is run to reach a goal. In education, it is generally identified with a course of studies or list of subjects prescribed for a course. In fact a list of subjects forms only a part of the curriculum and not whole of it. A curriculum means the total situation (or all situations) selected and organized by the institutions and made available to the teacher to operate and translate the ultimate aim of education into reality. The Secondary Education Commission, (1953) points out that a curriculum "does not mean only the academic subjects traditionally taught in the school but it includes the totality of experiences that a pupil receives through the manifold activities that go on in the school, in the class room, library, laboratory, workshop, playground and numerous informal contacts between teachers and pupils".

Thus the term curriculum, in its broad sense, refers to all the planned learning activities or experiences provided by an educational programme to a group of learners or target audience. As such it may include objectives, content, learning activities, materials, teaching aids and evaluation means and tools. In its narrow sense a curriculum may refer solely to the core contents or content outline of a particular programme or field.

Curriculum Development in Population Education.

Curriculum development is the most important component of an educational innovation, namely, Population Education. The introduction of population issues in the school curriculum, the explanation of the inter-relationships between a wide range of social phenomena both at micro and the macro levels, the explicit attention to the preparation of students for their future role as adult decision makers in their families, the community and the nation. This innovation can have an impact on curriculum design and instruction and make it possible to assert that population education can become both a stimulus to and a support for wide-spread educational reform.

It is through the curricular materials that the future citizens receive population education messages. It aims at the development of awareness and attitudes that will make learners to develop responsible behaviour in the context of population issues.

Why Population Education in Schools?

The onus of meeting the challenge of population growth rests on the young people who will constitute the adult population in the coming two to three decades. It is their reproductive behaviour when they become adults, which is going to affect considerably the population situation in future. In order to achieve population stabilization, the future parents, who are most important segment of society, must be involved. Their changed attitude towards family size is vital. Population education through the school system could be a potent instrument for developing these attitudes and competencies among this group and help them to take a rational decision. Different people have different opinion about the introduction of population education at different grade levels. Some of the arguments given for the introduction of population education at the elementary stage in India are as follows:

(i) Elementary stage has the highest enrolment. Children drop-out as they go up higher in the educational ladder. Introducing population education at this stage will benefit larger number of children.

(ii) Elementary school curriculum generally provides flexibility for introducing new concerns. Since there is no public examination at this stage, a greater number of opportunities for the use of experimental materials are available.

(iii) A number of research studies have indicated that it is easy to bring about change in attitudes at this formative stage.

(iv) Primary school teachers still play an important role in the rural areas. Their exposure to population related issues will help both students and the community at large in changing their attitude and behaviour in a right direction.

Those who argue for the introduction of population education at the secondary level give the following reasons:

(i) Students at this stage are in the process of growing up. These are the students who are already or will be taking decisions regarding marriage and reproductive behaviour very shortly. Education in matters related to adolescent reproductive health and other population related issues is of immediate relevance.

(ii) Students at this stage can grasp and understand population issues in greater depth.

(iii) The number of teachers to be trained in population education is comparatively smaller.

It would be better if population education is introduced at all the stages of school education. Efforts should be made to reach even those who are not in the school.

Approaches to Curriculum Development in Population Education

The following two approaches are being followed in most of the countries, for the development of curriculum in population education. One approach is Separate Subject approach and the other is Integrated Approach.

Separate Subject Approach

In the first approach, population education becomes a subject area along with other subjects taught at one or more grade levels. A separate subject affords the greatest possibility of systematic and sustained learning. Some countries have started thinking of introducing population education as a separate subject at the secondary level. For example, Philippines and Thailand are offering it as a separate elective course at secondary level. Although this approach is much effective and the chances of dilution and diffusion are less but it has not been put into practice in most of the countrie as Population Education is multi-disciplinary in nature and draws its content from various subjects. Secondly, school time tables are already over crowded and teachers find it difficult to accommodate a new course. Thirdly, new teachers will be required if it is introduced as a separate course. Most of the countries have, therefore, used an integrated approach to include population education concepts in different school subjects.

Integrated Approach

A survey of the sparse literature in the field and discussion with its proponents suggest that separate population education course or a series of courses to be included at elementary and secondary stages is not the most appropriate way to develop the necessary awareness. The curriculum is already crowded, the demand from the traditional disciplines generally reduced the possibility of adding a new population course. Further children will learn better if they are confronted with population related issues both throughout their school curriculum and during their entire period of schooling". Population education is multi disciplinary in nature and related to various subject/areas. The National Seminar on Population Education held at Bombay in 1969 also recommended "Population Education should be introduced into the curriculum of schools and colleges by including it in so far as it may be possible, in the areas of study such as Social Studies, Sciences, Health Education, Mathematics, Languages etc. In fact this serninar was of the view that it may be possible to achieve all the objectives in view by including population education suitably in the curricula of appropriate subjects already included in the curriculum."

Integration of population education in different school subjects can be possible in two ways:

i) Unit Approach : In this approach new units relating to population education are developed and added to the existing units in the course/syllabus of the subject area. This type of approach is adopted in countries like Philippines, the Republic of Korea and Thailand. The subjects usually chosen for the inclusion of population education units are Social Sciences, General Sciences, Biology, Mathematics, Home Economics, Health Education, Physical Education and Geography;

ii) Infusion Approach : This approach implies inclusion of population education concepts and data into the normal process of instruction throughout the curriculum without having to develop separate course of new units. Inclusion of this type involves enriching and expanding the existing unit in the syllabi of the accommodating subject areas to include population education related ideas. In this approach examples can be substituted into the already existing materials by population related examples. Through the substitution of examples, education content remains the same, only the substance of the example changes. This infusion was done either by incorporating in the textbooks or by publishing them in teacher guides. In other words, infusion with existing subject of population education concept means that no major curriculum reorganization is necessary. Time table need not be disturbed and existing teachers can teach with very little training.

This approach has also some demerits. In this approach, there is danger of fragmentation of the programme and the consequent failure of the pupil to attain the kind of understanding that the programme requires. It is much easier to see integration on paper than it is to achieve it in the reality of the school situation. It has been observed that population education concepts tend to be lost in the process of integration and the whole purpose of population education gets diffused.

In India efforts have been made to develop and integrate a few separate lessons as well as to infuse some ideas in the syllabi and textbooks of various subject areas at different school stages.

Population Education Conceptual Framework

- Historical Perspective

Another important question needs answer for curriculum development is the conceptual framework of Population Education. The concept of Population Education has relatively a short history. Ever since its inception, it has been changing and evolving at relatively faster pace. This has been so primarily because its central subject - the population phenomenon - has been unfolding itself in quick succession and identifying new dimensions of its interrelationships with other facets of human development. Alva Myrdal was perhaps the first to raise voice for the need of education in respect to the then population situation of western societies in 1941. Later in 1960, the noted teacher educators like Professor Sloan R. Wayland Warren S. Thompson and Philip M. Hauser conceptualized it as an education for making students aware of the demographic concerns focused on population growth.

In India also, Population Education was first conceptualized during the later half of nineteen sixties. The National Seminar on Population Education held in 1969 defined it as an education to make learner aware of the causes and effects of population changes. Initially Population Education emerged as a demographic- laden concept. In early part of Seventies, the Conceptual Framework of Population Education was built around the following six major areas.

1. The population growth

2. Economic development and population

3. Social development and population

4. Health nutrition and population

5. Biological factors - family life and population

6. Environment and Population

But with the passage of time, it was realized that it should be oriented toward values and therefore a need was felt to reconceptualize it.

The first reconceptualization occurred during late 1980s, when the Population Education Conceptual Framework focused on six major themes. Family size and Family Welfare; Delayed Marriage; Responsible Parenthood; Population Change and Resource Development, Population Related Values and Beliefs and Status of Women. The content focusing on these themes were drawn from six the following content areas. These were:

1. Population and Economic Development

2. Population and Social Development

3. Population and Family Life

4. Population Health and Nutrition

5. Population and Environmental Resources

6. Population Dynamics.

The concept of Population Education was reoriented to become value laden as population issues are predominantly value-laden.

By early 1990 again a need was felt to reconceputalize Population Education. The feedback received through in-built monitoring and findings of evaluation studies identified two basic limitations. These were:

1. Population Education Framework did not provide comprehensive treatment to the unfolding dimensions of relationship between population and development; and

2. Its theoretical framework was not in tune with the existing National Curriculum Framework of School Education in India.

The Core Curricular areas emphasized in the National Policy of Education, 1986, such as Observance of Small Family Norm, Equality of Sexes, Protection of Environment, Removal of Social Barriers and Inculcation of Scientific Temper were also to be reflected. The basic change in the perception of population development inter-relationship reflected in the ICPD Programme of Action registered a Paradigm Shift and put forth a fresh population agenda for the nations. The experiences gained during the implementation of NPEP in India also highlighted the gap regarding some crucial areas concerning sex-related matters, HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse.

In view of the above the existing framework of population education is in the process of being reconceptualized with the following highlights:

1. The focus of population education will shift from number to essential conditions for population stabilization. These conditions are: Gender Equity and Equlity; Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights- Family - Its Structure and Role, Sustainable Development and so on. It will highlight the individual needs instead of demographic targets and reflect the shift from purely population control to broader sustainable development approach.

2. It will highlight education as an essential condition for population stabilization.

3. The New framework will incorporate the elements of Adolescence Education (Process of Growing up, HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse) as one of its major components.

4. Population Education will be conceptualized as a truly educational approach.

5. The Policy directions of Revised NPE 1992 will also be reflected in the Reconceptualised Framework of Population Education.

Definition of Population Education

UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Asia in 1970 defined Population Education "as an educational programme which provides for a study of the population situation in the family, the community, nation and the world with the purpose of developing in the students rational and responsible attitudes or behaviour toward that situation. In view of the ICPD Programme of Action, in the Reconceptualized Framework of Population Education, it has been defined "as an educational process to develop in learners an understanding of inter-relationships between population and development, causes and consequences of population change and the criticality of the conditions for population stabilization. It inculcates among them rational attitude and responsible behaviour towards population and development issues, so that they may make informed decisions".

Objectives of Population Education

The process of curriculum development should take into consideration the following objectives of population education :

• Making learners aware of the inter-relationships between population and sustainable development.

• Developing in them an understanding of the criticality of essential conditions of population stabilization for better quality of life of present and future generations.

• Inculcating in them rational attitude and responsible behaviour towards population and development issues.

• Making them understand the crucial aspects of adolescent reproductive health, focusing on the elements of process of growing up, and implication of HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse.

• Inculcating in them rational attitude towards sex and drugs and promoting respect for the opposite sex; and

• Empowering them to take informed decisions on issues of population and development including reproductive health.

Identification of Population Education Contents

Population Education is a value-laden concept. Its content is culture and region specific and inter-disciplinary in nature. The desirability of having need-based as well as a demand based curriculum calls for a serious exercise in respect of selecting appropriate and relevant contents. The Reconceptulized Framework of Population Education has been built around the following six major themes :

1. Population and Sustainable Development

2. Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

3. Adolescents Reproductive Health

4. Family : Socio-Economic Factors and Quality of Life

5. Health and Education

6. Population Distribution : Urbanization and Migration

The broad contents, theme-wise and stage-wise have been identified alongwith subjects with which these could be integrated. These are given below in tabular form.