Sri Lanka: a holistic approach to reproductive health

In response to the request of Sri Lankan adolescents in the provision of family planning knowledge prior to marriage, a holistic approach to reproductive health education program supported by the UN Population Fund/Dutch multi-bilateral assistance was adopted. This program is jointly coordinated by the Social Science Department of the National Institute of Education and the Department of Science and Health. It conducts counseling by peers and teachers and educating parents concerning adolescent health. In addition, the Government invited nongovernmental organizations and private sectors to assist in the development of a national policy concerning reproductive and adolescent health. Policy statements were recognized by the public and programs at the community level were implemented by a task force. The government initiated preventive strategies through the counseling center network of the National Youth Services Council and the vocational training centers of the Vocational Training Authority. Reactions of Sri Lankan adolescents to these initiatives have been positive. They have demonstrated favorable attitude towards reproductive health and are receptive to family planning concerns. However, there is still a need to provide an organized service delivery program to ensure the availability and provision of contraception to adolescents.     

India: nationwide reproductive and child health programme

This article presents an outline of India's Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Programme. This program provides special interventions for the country's adolescent population. One of its main objectives is to help stabilize population numbers, including adolescents, at a level consistent with the needs and goals of national development. A committee of experts constituted in the Department of Family Welfare developed an appropriate package for adolescents, focusing on counseling and the provision of reproductive health services through the existing health care delivery system. In addition, special projects for people living in urban slums and tribal areas have been incorporated in the RCH Programme. Its view has been to improve the delivery of family health care services. The success of the Programme has depended on the development of a strong partnership between the Government and non-Governmental organizations, and in overcoming age-old values and prejudice against adolescent girls. Moreover, India's reconceptualized population education, which brings the education of adolescents into focus, includes elements of adolescent reproductive health.     

National news. Bangladesh. Mobilizing the youth through youth clubs. Population education for girls: PSTC experience

Involvement of Youths in Population and Family Welfare Activities through Youth Clubs, a project supported by the United Nations Population Fund, has developed innovative ways of reaching Bangladeshi youth with reproductive health messages. One such project, executed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, provided training in family life education to 74 youth training centers and launched population activities through 200 youth clubs in 98 thanas. Benchmark surveys were conducted in priority areas identified by individual clubs. A primary health care intervention reached 23,000 women and children with health card and sanitation programs. Follow-up surveys have revealed significant improvements in youth's knowledge of health, nutrition, maternal-child health, sanitation, and environmental conservation. In another Bangladeshi program, girls 9-19 years old received education through the Population Services and Training Center on topics such as the advantages of delayed marriage, family planning methods, and maternal-child health.     

Bhutan: impressive strides in health and education

This article reports the important developments in adolescent health and education status in Bhutan. These developments consist of a change in the focus of Bhutan's UNFPA-supportive reproductive health services. The country has also included adolescents as a primary target of reproductive health services. Adolescent girls have become the beneficiaries of a school health program developed by the Division of Education, and a comprehensive youth guidance program is under development by the Youth Guidance and Counseling Section of the Education Division. This change is a response to the increasing youth population; over 58% of the total population is aged under 25 years, and over 15% is aged under 15 years. Although initiatives to improve youth status has been undertaken, some problems still remain. These include malnourishment, pregnancy complications, and rise of sexually transmitted diseases, which raises the potential for the spread of HIV/AIDS.     

Editorial

An introduction to population education is made in preparation for the 1994 UN International Congress on Population Education and Development. Currently, more than 100 countries have introduced formal and nonformal population education programs, within a single or mixed subject. 3 basics elements are highlighted: knowledge of both positive and negative aspects of demographic change, the opportunity to use this knowledge to improve the quality of life, and the consideration of the needs of individuals and society. The public has not always received the notion of an ideal family model for the common good of all with acceptance and resolve. Individual values and national objectives may be viewed as discordant; balancing the state's needs to provide education for all young people and parental rights may be difficult. Population education programs vary by region and country. The longterm objective of some countries is the reduction of the population growth rate; others are concerned with controlling spatial distribution of population. Other objectives may be the improvement of family health or the reduction of adolescent pregnancy. Content also varies by target group, the level and type of education, and demographic factors. Possibilities include population growth, migration, urbanization, and/or the relationship between population, resources, environment, and development. Specific issues such as AIDS prevention, family structure, or management of a specific environment may be addressed. The only limitations to scope and content are social and cultural factors, such as people's perceptions of the role of the State and the family and choice of lifestyle. The most difficult aspect of population education is sexuality and the education of girls. Population education is most effective when it deals with the health of mothers and children; family planning; and the promotion of social, cultural, and recreational activities for children. Population education is important because of the links between education and general socioeconomic conditions. This issue provides a discussion of concepts, teaching materials, environmental links, migration, urbanization, women's role, and objectivity in information; also included is a summary of operating programs by 8 specialists representing the Pacific, East Africa, the Arab states, Latin America, Madagascar, India, the US and Romania.     

Learner pregnancy in South Africa’s Eastern Cape: The Factors affecting adolescent girls' school withdrawal during pregnancy

An early pregnancy often puts an end to a girls’ education. However, few studies have investigated which factors affect adolescents’ school discontinuation during pregnancy. This study interviewed 1,046 adolescent mothers from the Eastern Cape province in South Africa. The results showed that a quarter of school-going adolescent girls withdrew from school during the pregnancy - many as early as the first trimester. School withdrawal was associated with higher poverty, higher grade repetition, an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy, and greater lack of information about the pregnancy. Given the high enrolment rates at the onset of the pregnancy, school-based services may provide an opportunity to identify which girls require substantial support to remain in education throughout pregnancy, using a history of poor school performance as an indicator for dropout.     

Sexual behavior and social education in China

The application on a massive scale of various population, family planning, sex education measures in China is a societal feature that is quickly evident to the country's visitors. For anyone concerned with population limitation on a national scale, the Chinese experiments and progress are of particular interest. In China there is a clearly discernible 3 step program: the minimization of sexual interest or enforced "national abstinence standard" in the teen years; a period of intense propaganda to postpone marriage until the mid 20s and avoid sexual intercourse outside marriage; and a concerted educational campaign aimed predominantly at married females for the 20 year span covering the fertile ages of approximately 25-45 to limit families. The Chinese approach to family planning and sexual education is direct and ubiquitous. One of the more paradoxical aspects of China's campaign to enforce their severe and particular natalist policy is the relatively high level of preventive sex knowledge among young married couples and the virtual absence of any major form of sex education for teenagers in the schools. In the past few years there has been a modest yet detectable change in this approach. Some middle school students are now being introduced, albeit on a sexually segregated basis, to somewhat wider aspects of population knowledge and human population studies. For the most part these units fall into the traditional teaching areas utilized in many western nations, i.e., physiology, biology, and physical education courses. The development and expansion of such courses may foreshadow the gradual introduction nationally of new material into the middle schools, but the predominant aim of sex education will remain the limitation and control of population. Some of the answers to sex education questions posed by this author in various schools and to a range of senior education officials are reported. The answers represent a recent sample, extracted from a number gathered during various visits to China in the past 3 years. The topic of sex education is viewed within special parameters. The target for sex education, particularly as it relates to birth control, will remain for the foreseeable future the young adult of marriageable age.     

Teen pregnancy. Why it remains a serious social,economic, and educational problem in the U.S

Although there are fewer teenage pregnancies in the US today than was the case prior to 1970, this fact should not be used to claim that the problem of adolescent pregnancy has been exaggerated. In the earlier period, the majority of adolescent pregnancies were to married couples; moreover, early childbearing was a social norm. In the present period, the availability of effective contraception and legal abortion has enabled women to postpone marriage and childbearing into their late twenties or early thirties and to focus instead on education that enhances their marketability and wages. Under prevailing social norms, teen pregnancy represents a clear deviation. By 1990, 68% of births to women under 20 years of age involved unmarried mothers. Under current socioeconomic conditions, unmarried adolescent mothers are likely to live in poverty and their offspring are at high risk of learning disabilities, child abuse, and foster care placements. Although young people are bombarded with images of sexuality in the mass media, school-based sex education programs tend to promote abstinence and withhold information on or access to contraception. It is essential that material on human sexuality is integrated into the curriculum as early as kindergarten if the teen pregnancy rate and the intergenerational transmission of early childbearing under conditions of poverty are to be reduced.     

The Graduate,the Globetrotter and the Good Samaritan: adolescent girls’ visions of themselves in early adulthood

Adolescent aspirations have been extensively researched, particularly in the contexts of higher education and the workforce. This paper extends research by exploring how the educational and career aspirations of rural adolescent girls relate to their other future goals. It demonstrates how exploring aspirations, both within and outside of the contexts of higher education and the workforce, enables a deeper understanding of various adolescent aspirations and the interconnections between them. This paper draws on a qualitative study with adolescent girls living in the Cradle Coast region of Tasmania-a rural and remote region where access to a wide range of educational resources and experiences is limited in comparison to those available in metropolitan centres. The paper responds to recent participation policy in Australia that implies young people from rural locations are lacking in aspiration. The article demonstrates that despite rurality, the girls in this study have many aspirations, including those for higher education. It discusses how having many and quite varied aspirations influences the girls’ decision making and planning around their futures. The paper shows that it is the balancing of many future goals that influences educational and career decision-making, rather than low aspirations.     

高等教育大众化与规模结构:人口学的视角

经过30多年计划生育国策的大力推行,我国人口的生育水平、年龄构成、职业构成等都发生了很大变化。从人口学视角审视我国人口自身变化对高等教育大众化的影响,可以看到我国生育水平的下降、人口年龄结构的变化给高等教育大众化的发展带来的机遇和挑战。     

Enrolment at primary level: gender difference disappears in Bangladesh

In the recent past, there have been a number of new initiatives to improve the access to primary education in many developing countries. Such initiatives, which came from the public, private and non-governmental (NGO) sectors, have resulted in improved performance in various efficiency indicators. This paper reports results from a nationwide study in Bangladesh on the levels and changes in enrolment pattern of children at the primary level. The gross enrolment ratio has reached 107% and the net enrolment rate 77%. Gender gap has disappeared; in fact girls have surpassed boys! However, the increase in enrolment taking place is not at the desired speed; it is less than one percentage point per year. The government is still the major provider of primary education with two-thirds of all enrolments, but non-formal schools run by NGOs also have important contributions to the positive changes that are taking place in Bangladesh.     

Key non-controversial concepts of population education

The important components of population education should focus on sexuality rather than sex education; content for inclusion depends upon whether the goal is population awareness or critical awareness. Population awareness is the better understanding of the nature, causes, and consequences of population changes experienced by a community, country, region. Critical awareness is the intent and ability to change the sociocultural or educational characteristics that influence fertility, mortality, and migration. 6 basic concepts with universal applicability are discussed, because if not handled properly, the topic become controversial. The concepts are linked to developing thinking or reasoning ability. The concepts are as follows: 1) respect for others, particularly those of the opposite sex; 2) development of self-esteem for both boys and girls; 3) the knowledge that planning is possible and desirable; 4) postponement of first pregnancy; 5) acceptance of responsibility for the consequences of behavior; and 6) the ability to recognize and withstand social pressure. When children learn respect for others, there is little likelihood that others will be harmed. Respect for girls and women is particularly important, and harmful stereotyping and their effects should be pointed out. The key is to develop healthy attitudes and values toward people, not just an intellectualization of gender issues. Self-esteem is used here to mean self-worth in the present and the future. Children can be helped to develop confidence, perseverance, and optimism. Children need to understand that carefully thought out decisions should precede a birth; fatalism and destiny is a choice. Postponing the first pregnancy can lead to economic, emotional, and physical benefits. Risk to the health of the mother and baby occurs during the teen years. The best time for pregnancy is between the ages of 20 and 30 years. A pregnancy in the teen years may have longterm consequences such as more pregnancy and delivery complications or infertility. Social pressure may force behavior that does not conform to one's own convictions or be applicable to best options for the individual.     

Conduct disorder in girls: Diagnostic and intervention issues

Current prevalence rates of Conduct Disorder (CD) in girls may be an underestimate due to inappropriate diagnostic criteria, biased perceptions by those responsible for reporting problematic behavior, and differential social constraints for each gender. Relatively few published studies of CD and related behaviors in girls exist. Available evidence suggests adolescent girls with CD have a poor outcome including early and violent death, arrest, substance abuse and dependence, antisocial personality disorder, failure to finish high school, pregnancy, sexual promiscuity, and contraction of sexually transmitted disease. Even with its relatively low, possibly underestimated prevalence rate in comparison with that of boys, CD has been found to be the second most common psychiatric disorder in adolescent girls. In addition to examining possible reasons for the lack of research on CD in girls, this article reviews possible risk factors and suggested assessment and intervention strategies for this population. Particular attention is paid to implications for practitioners in the school setting. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 183–192, 2003.     

Spina Bifida and Motherhood

Many adolescent girls with spina bifida are not receiving appropriate sex instruction at school. They need counselling about their prospects of marriage and parenthood says Olive Drakes, teacher in charge, extended education unit, the Avenue School, Reading     

少数民族贫困地区大龄女童辍学问题追踪研究

近几年,少数民族贫困地区女童教育研究转向了对大龄女童(10～12岁)辍学问题及辍学的多因素综合治理方面.少数民族大龄女童辍学率高,主要原因是她们已经成为家里的劳动力或后备劳动力,通过她们的劳动或外出打工来支撑贫困的家庭及继续弟妹的学业.农村实行"两免一补"政策后,这一问题有了一定的缓解,但不能从根本上解决.为此,建议通过设立民族教育发展专项基金或发展特区的政策,从根本上解决民族教育的这一难点问题.     

The Pacific region

Population education in the Pacific region is summarized in terms of awareness and commitment, curriculum and instructional materials development, integration into the school curricula, training programs, and evaluation research. Several population education issues of current concern relate to the increase in chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension that are associated with life styles and diet, and the rising incidence of AIDS and teenage pregnancy. In the Pacific region, many countries have advanced population programs and policies, while some still do not even have a population policy. The issue of balancing population and resources is a topic that has not been sufficiently addressed in resource-poor countries. There is wide variance in awareness and commitment to population education in the Pacific region. Commitment and continuous support are crucial to population education projects. Lack of support is sometimes due to changing government personnel and lack of awareness of policy makers. Population education is not the same as family planning or sex education, and traditionally is spread through seminars and workshops by part time project personnel unconnected to the entire educational apparatus. Presently, only 8 population projects are functioning in the region, with 2-3 in the planning stages. Materials development in the Pacific region has been devoted to the secondary school level, yet awareness is increasing that sexuality, family health, and the environment should be introduced at the primary level. A popular strategy is to integrate population issues into the existing curriculum, such as in Fiji, the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati, which also have teacher training curriculum. In most countries sex education is still a controversial topic, and materials are developed by teacher committees working after school rather in a curriculum development unit. AIDS has pushed this topic into the public sector. A chart is provided for each country and curriculum with population education and the level of schooling for formal and informal education. Training programs tend to be orientation workshops, materials development workshops, or teacher training workshops. Evaluation research in population education has been weak, due to an emphasis on program implementation, curriculum development, and limited resources and expertise.     

日本政府与NGO国际教育援助合作机制分析——基于对“相互依赖性”与“组织身份”的考察

作为国际教育援助三大主体的国际组织、援助国政府、NGO近年来形成多元、多层、多途径合作的局面,特别是政府与NGO,基于对彼此资源的相互依赖,形成不同的合作模式,其合作机制值得深讨。日本作为经验丰富的援助大国,政府与NGO的合作是通过"政府购买服务""对话协商""助推NGO发展"三大制度结构来实现的,而在具体实施过程中,双方根据不同的"资源依赖性"与"组织身份定位",组合成"伙伴型""合同型""延伸型"合作关系。在"伙伴型"关系中双方构成对称性依赖关系,维持各自的组织身份,在"合同型"关系中形成非对称性依赖关系,NGO虽然自主却也受政府的条件牵制,在"延伸型"合作关系下NGO过度依赖政府,致其依附型发展。     

西北民族地区农村家庭入学决策与匹配婚姻

基于甘肃义务教育阶段学生的家庭调查数据,分析了影响西北民族地区农村儿童辍学的因素。研究发现：汉族儿童相对于少数民族儿童更容易入学,男童比女童更容易入学,父母的受教育程度对儿童入学的概率有显著的正向作用,家庭财富和资产对儿童入学有正的影响。在匹配婚姻上,父母一代的婚姻匹配程度相对高于祖父一代,汉族的匹配程度要高于少数民族。     

Next time somebody asks: "Is it good for young people to watch TV?" say YA TV,the Young Asia Television: the eyes and ears of young Asians

This article presents a profile of the Young Asia Television (YATV) initiative by the WorldView International Foundation. The YATV channel brings news and analysis of Asia-focussed environmental concerns, current affairs, population and reproductive health issues, social problems including poverty and illiteracy, arts and culture, and other topics. In addition, it broadcasts programs produced by different countries on reproductive and sexual health, including AIDS and sexually transmitted disease prevention, and youth/adolescent awareness of sexual health. It was launched by the Foundation with a thrust stating that "television must encourage dialogue and debate; advance the creativity of people, especially the younger generation who will be the leaders of the future." In order to reach many more millions of viewers, YATV programs are networked with the Asian Broadcasting Union and 1000 other organizations through the Foundation's own NGOs network. This network provides the medium for value-based broadcasts in an entertaining fashion. The International Office of Worldview International Foundation in Colombo monitors the program activities on a continuing basis and uses the information gathered for impact assessment and long-term planning.