Social Studies 8

9.4

Determinants of Population
Change

Pre-reading Activities

Find out the total number of students in your school. Identify how many of them have
migrated from different regions to your area.

Reading

No any country or place has stable population. It keeps on changing. Generally it
increases. It may also decrease when the rate of out - migration or mortality is high.
In context of Nepal the urban population has gone very high where as the rural
population has gone low.

The major determinants of population change are as follows.

Fertility
It is one of the important factors of population
change. Fertility, which is also expressed as
fertility rate is the number of births given by a
woman during her childbearing period. Fertility
rate is affected by age - wise structure of the
population, age to marry, education, occupation,
religious state, food, health, etc. Fecundity, child
mortality rate, life expectancy, political situation
of the nation, social prestige of parents, etc. also affect the fertility. Fertility levels are
lower in developed countries than in developing nations. Age - group structure, early
marriage and illiteracy are the reasons behind it.

Mortality
Mortality is another factor of population change. Population structure, health facility,
nature of work and occupation, area of settlement, age, malnutrition, diseases, etc.
are the major factors of morality. Because of increase in per capita income, use of
new technology in health sector, expansion of public health centers and wide
range of health knowledge, the morality rate is decreasing even in developing and
underdeveloped nations.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 251

Migration
Migration is considered very complex in
demographic process. It includes geographical
population shifts within nations and across
borders. Push factor and pull factor are the two
major factors that affect the migration. If the
people move to a place, it is called in - migration
and if they go out from a place, it is called out -
migration.

Free the Words
fecundity : capacity to produce the babies
malnutrition : the unhealthy condition due to lack of nutritious food

In - class Activity

How is the trend of population change in your community? Is it increasing or
decreasing? Find out the causes and present them in the class.

Exercise

1. Write long answers to the following questions.
a. Mention the factors that affect migration.
b. What is fertility? Why is the fertility rate more in developing and
underdeveloped nations?
c. Is the mortality rate decreasing or increasing in the world? Write with
reasons.
d. Write differences between developed and developing nations based on the
following aspects :
i. Fertility Rate
ii. Mortality Rate
iii. Migration

Community Project Work

Write down the major determinant of population change in your community.

252 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

9.5

Population Structure of Nepal

Pre-reading Activities

How is the population of your classroom composed? Let’s think about it. To find out
the composition of your classroom population, you can simply classify it into many
groups such as male/female, caste, mother tongue, etc. Take a few minutes and take a
survey of your class to know how the population is composed.

Reading

Population structure means the composition of a population. To study population
structure of a given society, we can look at the population according to gender, age,
class, language, literacy, education, place of residency, etc. In this lesson, we are going
to study the population structure of Nepal taking “literacy” and “occupation” as the
factors.

Literacy and population

Literacy applies to population of six years and above. The following is the state of
literacy in Nepal in relationship to gender and area.

State of literacy in percentage

Gender Nepal Urban area Rural area

2038 2048 2058 2068 2038 2048 2058 2038 2048 2058

Male and 23.3 39.6 54.1 65.9 56.0 66.4 71.9 21.3 36.8 51.0
Female

Male 34.0 54.4 65.5 75.1 66.0 77.4 81.2 32.0 51.9 62.6

Female 12.0 25.0 42.8 57.4 44.0 54.3 61.9 10.3 22.0 39.6
Source: National Census, 2068

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 253

Occupation and Population

On the basis of occupation, population of an area or a country can be classified
into various groups. The following table shows the population of Nepal in terms of
occupation.

Table

Occupation 2038 Population 2058
Nepal 91.37 2048 59.61
81.1
Agriculture

Non-agriculture 6.35 18.62 40.47

Other 2.28 0.28 0.08

Urban area

Agriculture 63.7 23.8 38.16
75.6 61.74
Non Agriculture 26.4 0.6 0.10

Other 9.9 Source: Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) 2050,and 2060

Free the Words

literacy : the ability to read and write

In-class Activities

Based on the statistics shown on the tables included in the lesson, discuss the state
of literacy and occupation in Nepal. Offer suggestions as to how we can increase the
literacy rate of women.

Exercise

1. Write long answers to the following questions.

a. How would you define “population structure”?
b. How is population structure studied? Explain.
c. What is literacy? Why is it important to achieve higher rate of literacy? Explain.
d. Which sector is the highest provider of employment in Nepal? Explain.
e. How is the population structure of an urban area compared to rural area?

Explain.

Community Work Project

Conduct a survey to find out the occupational population structure of the place you
are living in. Show it in a pie-chart.

254 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

9.6

Population Distribution in Nepal

Pre-reading Activities

Study the information in the table below and discuss the questions that follow:

Year Rural area Urban area Mountain Hill Terai
2048 90.49 9.51 7.8% 45.5% 46.7%
2058 85.8 14.2 7.3% 44.4% 48.4%
2068 82.93 17.07 6.73% 43% 50.27%

Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, 2068

a. What does this table show about the distribution of population in terms of
urban and rural areas?

b. Over the 20 years, in which areas is the population increasing and decreasing?

c. What could be the reasons for the steady increase of population in the urban
area?

Reading

Population distribution means the patterns of people living in a given area. It also
refers to the spread of population in different parts of a country or a region or as per
the variables such as age, sex, caste, and religion. As you can see in the table above,
the population living in rural areas in Nepal tends to be greater than people living
in urban areas. The table also shows the changing pattern of population distribution.
The urban population is steadily increasing whereas rural population is gradually
decreasing. This indicates that many rural areas are turning into cities and many
people from rural areas are migrating to cities in search of employment and other
facilities.

Population distribution can also be viewed in terms of regions. The following is the
population distribution of Nepal in terms of provinces.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 255

Provinces Population

1 4,501,464

2 5,373,090

Gandaki 5,442,984

4 2,702,233

5 4,291,514

Karnali 1,401,554

Sudurpaschim 2,520,988

Source: Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development

Among the seven provinces of Nepal, the population of province 3 is the highest.
According to the census of 2068, population of this region is 55,29,452. Similarly, Karnali
Province has the lowest population.

Free the Words

variable : able or likely to change

In-class Activities

Discuss the population distribution of Nepal in terms of provinces and present it in
a pie-chart.

Exercise

Write long answers to the following questions.
a. What is population distribution? What are the elements included in its study?

Explain.

b. What are the factors that might affect the population distribution of a county?
Explain.

c. Why do you think the rural population of Nepal is higher than the urban population?

d. With the help of the table given in the beginning of this lesson, explain the pattern
of population distribution in urban and rural areas.

e. Explain the population distribution in terms of provinces.

Community Work Project

Visit your Ward office or Rural Municipality/Municipality office and collect information
about the population distribution of your area. Then, compare the population of your
area with at least five other areas.

256 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

9.7

Internal and External Migration
in Nepal

Pre-reading Activities

Get into small groups of 4-5 students. Ask each other to find out:
1. Where is each member’s home located?
2. How long has the family been living in the area?
3. From where did the family move in the current area of residence?

Then, share your finding with other groups.

Reading

As you have already figured out, many of your families did not use to live in the
place where they live now. Some families moved to the place from other places. In
other words, people move from one place to another in search of education, job, better
opportunities, and some other reasons.

Internal Migration

When people move from one place to another within the borders of the country, it is
called internal migration. In Nepal, historically people have migrated to city centers.
This is mainly because cities offer basic facilities such as educational institutions,
health facilities, transportation, communication facilities.

In Nepal, people have also migrated from hilly and mountain regions to the plains of
Terai. As per the national census of 2011, almost fifty percent of the total population
of Nepal is living in Terai regions. Because of the lack of fertile agricultural land and
employment opportunities in the hilly region, people have migrated to Terai. Until
1950, Terai region was hardly an attractive region for migration. People used to be
afraid of migrating to Terai region because of epidemic diseases such as malaria. With
the eradication of malaria later on, Terai became the main destination for migration.
A large number of people migrated to Terai region from hilly areas. In 1991, about
1228356 people had internally migrated. By 2001, the number of internal migrants
reached 1727357.

External Migration

If people leave the country and move to another country, it is called external migration.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 257

Recently, a large number of Nepalese are migrating to different countries in search of
education, employment, and better opportunities. The 10-year long conflict and the
protracted peace process has also increased external migration. The following table
shows the reasons for external migration.

Number of migrants and reasons for migrating

Reasons Number of migrants Percentage

Agriculture 7763 1.02
Business 12060 1.58
Personal services 506221 66.42
Company services 94329 12.38
Study/Training 31727 4.17
Marriage 14101 1.85
Other reasons 95970 12.69
Total 762181 100

Source: Central Bureau of Statistics, 2003

Free the Words

epidemic : spreading of a disease to a large area
eradication : abolition
malaria : a disease caused by the bite of mosquitoes
protracted : delayed

In-class Activities

a. If you were to migrate to another place within the country, which place would
you choose to live in and why? Give at least three reasons.

b. If you were to migrate to another country, which country would you like to
migrate to and why? Give at least five reasons.

Exercise

1. Write long answers to the following questions.
a. What is internal migration? Explain.
b. What is external migration? Explain.
c. Why do people in Nepal tend to migrate to city areas?
d. What are the reasons for a large number of people migrating to Terai
regions in the recent decades?
e. What are some of the reasons for external migration? Explain.

Community Work Project

Write a letter to an imaginary or real uncle who is currently living in Saudi Arabia
explaining him the importance of living in one’s own country.

258 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

9.8

World Population: Size and the
Growth Rate

Pre-reading Activities

Study the table below and discuss the questions that follow:

Periodic Population of the World

Period 1800 1930 1960 1972 1987 1999 2011

Additional time in All 130 30 14 13 12 12
years

Population in 12 34 5 67
billion

Source: Population Reference Bureau, 2011

 Why do you think it took 130 years for the world population to increase by
1 billion between 1800 to 1930?

 How is the growth pattern of world population now?

Reading

As you can see in the table, in 2011 AD, the world population has reached 7 billion. It
is estimated that the population of the world in 1 AD was around 250 millions only.
So, it took some 1650 years for the population to reach 500 millions. By 1800, the
population reached 1 billion. After 1960, the world population is rapidly growing and
now 1 billion population is added in every 12 years.

The distribution of world population in terms of regions.

Area Population Birth rate Death rate Increase Time to
World (million) (Thousand) (Thousand) (%) double the
population
6987 20 8 1.2
58

Development 1242 11 10 0.2 350

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 259

Non- 5745 22 8 1.4 50
development 861 35 11 2.4 29
2051 36 12 2.4 29
Under
development

Africa

North 346 13 8 0.5 140

America 596 18 6 1.2 58
Latin America 4216 18 7 1.1 64

and
Caribbean

Asia

Europe 740 11 11 0.0

Osenia 37 18 7 1.2

Source: Population Reference Bureau, 2011

As the table above shows, the world population is rapidly growing since the middle of
the seventeenth century. Before 1750, the population in Russia, Europe, and America
had rapidly increased. By 1700, China’s population began to increase steadily. The
growth of world population, in fact, exceeded the estimates and in 1999, it reached 6
billion. Moreover, by 2011, the population reached 7 billion, within a span of 12 years.

Free the Words
Caribbean : islands around Caribbean sea

In-Class Activities

Visit the Ward office, nearest to your school. Collect information related to the
population of the Ward. Find out the current population and population of 10 years
ago. Compare and contrast and discuss the reasons for the change in population size.

Exercise

1. Answer these questions.

a. In which year will the population of the world reach 8 billion if it continues
to grow at the present rate?

b. In which area of the world the population is largest and in which area is it
smallest in size?

c. In which areas of the world the mortality rate is the highest and lowest?
d. In which areas of the world the population growth rate is the highest and

260 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

lowest?
e. Find how long will it take to double the population in various areas of the

world.

2. Compare and contrast the mortality rate of developed and least developed countries.

3. Prepare a report on geographical region-wise population distribution of Nepal,
2011 AD.

Community Work Project

With the help of an atlas, find out the regions having high population and low
population in the world.

Unit Review

In this unit we have learnt that :
• Fertility, mortality and migration are the key factors of demography.

• Crude Birth Rate (CBR), Age - specific Fertility Rate (ASFR), Total Fertility Rate
(TFR) are the methods to measure fertility.

• Crude Death Rate (CDR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) are the major
components of mortality.

• In - Migration Rate, Out - Migration Rate and Net - Migration Rate are the key
measurement of migration.

• There is no balance population distribution in Nepal.
• There is high internal and external migration in Nepal.

• The world’s population is increasing day by day.

Test your knowledge

Answer these questions

1. Write down the formulae to calculate the following.

a. CBR b. ASFR c. TFR d. CDR

e. IMR f. OMR g. NMR

2. What is the total population of Nepal according to the consus of 2068 BS?
3. Write down the world’s population.

4. Name the least and most populated countries of the world.

5. Which among three has been the major factor in brining the change in the
Population? Give reason.
a. Fertility b. Mortality c. Migration

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 261

Unit

10

Population Growth and
Its Management

Upon the completion of this unit, students will be able to :

 identify the reasons for population growth and its effects on living

LeastrannidnagrdOabnjdedcteivveelospment

 show the link between family life and education
 explain the role of international organizations in the management of

population

262 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

10.1

Population and Quality of Life

Pre-reading Activities

We keep hearing about “quality of life.” Brainstorm for five minutes and write what
you think constitutes quality of life. Then, discuss your views in the class.

Reading

The quality of life is closely related to human needs. If human needs such as education,
health, employment, and security are available to people, then we can assume that
people are living a quality life. In fact, food, shelter, education, and health are basic
needs. A state strives to fulfill such human needs for its people.
In the absence of fulfillment of such physical and biological needs, humans remain
dissatisfied. Humans also need to fulfill their social and psychological needs. Social
needs include education and social recognition and the condition to live a dignified
life. For this, they need quality education, ability to celebrate festivals, and engage
in spiritual activities such as practising religion. For a harmonious society, these
social and psychological needs of people must be fulfilled. Otherwise, people become
socially and psychologically dissatisfied.
According to the census of 2068, in average 4.88 people live in a family. Likewise,
population growth is 1.35% and gender ratio of male and female is 100 equals to 94.2.
Population density of Nepal is 180 per sq.km. 85.26% Nepalese live in their own home
and 12.81% Nepalese live in rent. Similarly, 38.17% Nepalese don’t have toilet in their
home. This has indeed a great effect in the quality of life.

Population and quality of life
Population of a society directly affects on the quality of life of the people. For example,
to lead a quality life, we have to utilize the available resources. As resources are limited
in nature, they have to be distributed among people. If the size of the population is
large, it creates scarcity of resources. To avoid this situation, we need to manage the
population so that limited resources can be distributed adequately. Hence, there is the
need of population education.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 263

The following factors directly influence the quality of life :

 The size, growth rate, and migration pattern
 Social structure, political system, pattern of consumption, and cultural

values of a society
 Priorities in development process, business, international relations
 Means and resources such as natural resources, technology, and capital

Moreover, employment, education, health, food and nutrition, etc.are directly
dependent on the level of income of the people. By creating employment opportunities
for people in various sectors such as business, industry, agriculture, and so on, the
state can help people live a quality life.

Free the Words

brainstorm : an idea that some one thinks of suddenly

strive : to try very hard to achieve something

In-class Activities

Get into small groups of 4-5 students. Discuss and make a list of human needs that
constitute the quality of life. Then, offer suggestions as to how a country can make
sure that such needs are fulfilled. Present your views to the class.

Exercise

1. Write very short answers to the following questions.
a. How would you define “quality of life”?
b. How is population related to quality of life?
c. According to the census of 2068, how many people live in a family?

2. Write short answers to the following questions.
a. What are some of the main factors that determine quality of life? Explain at
least two factors.
b. What are the elements that constitute quality of life? Explain in brief.
c. Do you think a large population size is always detrimental to quality of
life? In what situations can a large size of population also be beneficial?

Community Work Project

Meet a couple of persons who are involved in social service in your locality. Talk to
them about “quality of life.” Find out what their ideas about human needs are and
what they have to suggest for fulfilling the needs of people.

264 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

10.2

Ways of Managing Population

Pre-reading Activities

Imagine that some twenty students from your neighbouring school visit your
classroom and decide to attend class along with you for two days. How would the
arrival of new students in your class affect your daily classroom activities such as
teaching and learning, accommodation, use of facilities like library, cafeteria, etc.?
Make a list of suggestions to accommodate the new students for two days.

Reading

You may think it is challenging
for you to make necessary
arrangements for additional
students in your classroom. You are
right. The sudden arrival of new
students created pressure on the
available resources you have in your
class. You might need to find more
desks, prepare more food in the
cafeteria; even your teachers will
have to find more time to go over
students’ work. What you tried to
do in your classroom is somewhat
similar to managing the population
of a country. It is all about finding
a way to fulfill the needs by using
available resources.

Just as the population of a classroom is affected by the arrival of new students,
population of a country is influenced by various factors such as birth, death and
migration. As a result, the population size of a country keeps changing. Generally,
population tends to increase. This is true in many countries of the world. However, in
some developed countries in North-Western Europe such as Denmark and Norway,
population is also decreasing.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 265

What is population management?

Many people have misconception about population management. They tend to
believe that population management is all about controlling the growth of population.
Population growth is not always detrimental to development and quality of life. A
large population can also be a strength for economy as there will be a large active
population to work and produce. A large population creates markets for products.
However, it all depends on the available resources in the country. Therefore, we should
not take population management as an act of controlling the growth of population.
Rather, population management is concerned with the size, structure, growth rate, and
nature of the population. It addresses the factors such as birth, death, and migration
to mobilize the population for the optimal utilization of available resources.

As the example of new students arriving in your class shows, managing population is
to maintain a balance between population growth and means and resources. For this,
a country always has to make adjustments between the population and resources and
adopt policies to maximize the potential of available human resource.

In underdeveloped countries, population management has been a major challenge.
These countries tend to have a higher population growth rate. The resources there
are often underutilized. The key to manage population for such countries is to
implement programs to impart quality education. Also, by empowering women
and involving them in decision making such as the size of family, birth spacing, and
marriage, a country can effectively manage its population. Moreover, education on the
importance of breast feeding, maternal and child health, and nutrition helps to keep
the population healthy and active. Most underdeveloped countries need to implement
income generating programs, literacy, and population education to empower women.

Free the Words lodging; a place to live or work
a place such as a restaurant
accommodation : causing damage or injury
cafeteria :
determinental :

In-class Activities

Conduct a mini survey in your class to find out the population of the families of at
least ten students. Acquire information such as married/unmarried members of the
family, number of babies in the family, employed/unemployed members. Then, write
a brief report on your findings.

266 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

Exercise

1. Write very short answers to the following questions.
a. What is population management?
b. How is population management different from population control?

2. Write short answers to the following questions.
a. What are the factors that influence population? Discuss.
b. What is population management? How is it different from population
control?
c. Explain the relationship between population and available means and
resources.
d. How can we maintain a balance between population growth and utilization
of resources?
e. What are the factors that should be considered in managing the population
of your locality? Explain.
f. Briefly state the population management situation in under-developed
countries.

Community Work Project

Find out whether the population of your community is managed or unmanaged.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 267

10.3

Problems of Population
Management in Nepal

Pre-reading Activities

"Parents' education also affects population management." How far do you agree with
the statement? Discuss in the class.

Reading

According to the national census of 2068, Nepal’s population has reached 26494504.
The population distribution in the country is imbalanced. Almost fifty percent of total
population is concentrated in the plains of Terai. At present the population growth
rate is 1.35%. But in 2001, the growth rate was 2.25 percent. Nepal’s population
growth is very high as compared to other Asian and developed countries. Therefore,
population management is highly important to maintain a balance between the
increasing population and available means and resources. During first census in 1968
B.S., the population of Nepal was 56,38,749 and it reached to 1,15,55,983 in 2028 B.S. In
2058 B.S., it reached to 2,31,51,423. In 2068 B.S. it reached to 26494504 and population
growth also became high.Recently this growth rate has come down. The following
are some of the problems related to population management in Nepal.

1. Low literacy rate: As per the national census of 2068 BS, the literacy rate in Nepal
has reached 65.9%. However, women’s literacy rate is low. i.e. 57.4% in comparison
to male which is 75.1%. Literacy is directly related to population management.
Early marriages, higher birth rates, and lack of knowledge of maternal and child
health are more prevalent among societies with lower literacy rates.

2. Early marriages: Marriage age also affects population management. Early
marriage leads to many problems such as inability to continue education and
likelihood of giving birth to many children. According to the census of 2068, the
majority of people are married between the age 15-19 (48.9%). This shows that
many people get married early.

3. Lack of proper birth spacing: In our society, age difference between two
children is very less. We need to educate parents to have 4-5 years birth spacing
between two children.

268 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

4. Preference to male child: In a patriarchal society like ours, parents give high
importance to having a son. As a result, they give birth to many children in the
hope of having the son.

5. High infant and child mortality rate: The infant mortality rate in Nepal is very
high. Among 1000 children born, 53 die before they reach the age of 1 year. A
high infant mortality rate leads to the birth of many children.

6. Structure of population in terms of age: The census of 2068 shows that
population between the age 0-14 is 34.91 %. In comparison to active population,
inactive population is higher. This is also a major problem in the management
of population in Nepal.

7. Lack of decisive role of women: In Nepal, there is minimum role of women
in deciding the size of the family and number of children. Unless women have
significant role to play about the size of family, maternal and child health, and
nutrition, population management always becomes challenging.

Free the Words
partriarchal : male enjoying the higher status

In-class Activities

Discuss the current state of population growth, infant mortality and literacy rates in
Nepal and their roles in population management.

Exercise

1. Write very short answers to the following questions.
a. What is the population of Nepal in 2068 BS?
b. What is present literacy rate of Nepal?
c. Write any two major problems in managing urban population in Nepal.

2. Write short answers to the following questions.
a. Briefly state the facts about Nepal’s population.
b. Discuss the situation of population management in Nepal.
c. What are the main problems related to population management in Nepal?
Explain.
d. Explain how high infant mortality rate affects population management.

Community Work Project

Write down the major problems of population management in Nepal.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 269

10.4

Role of International Organizations
in Population Management

Pre-reading Activities

What do you see in the picture?

What works does it do?

Reading

There are many national and international organizations that play a significant role
in the management of population. Some of them are: UNFPA, UNICEF, IUCN, FAO,
etc. United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) is such an international
organization. Established in 1969, UNFPA publishes report on the state of world
population every year. Similarly, it provides fund and necessary technical support for
countries to conduct demographic surveys and censuses. It also provides information,
expertise, and knowledge for countries to formulate population related policies and
programs. It works on the passed Action Plan of the 1994 International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo, the capital city of Egypt.

The headquarters of UNFPA is located in New York and it has been implementing
programs in 158 countries of the world. UNFPA also runs programs related to women’s
empowerment, population education, and poverty reduction. These activities directly
or indirectly help population management across the world.

The following are the main objectives of UNFPA:

 Provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health
 Promote the rights to give birth
 Reduction of maternal and child mortality rate
UNFPA’s main objective is to ensure the rights to every woman in the world to be a
mother, if she wants to. It also aims to ensure secure birth and healthy population.
Moreover, UNFPA also publishes human development report of every country. The
report helps countries formulate policies and programs to develop their human
resources.

270 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8

Free the Words

expertise : special skill or knowledge

In-class Activities

Find a national organization currently working in Nepal that also contributes to
population management. Prepare a list of objectives and functions of the organization.

Exercise

1. Write very short answers to the following questions.

a. Give an introduction to UNFPA.
b. Which agency annually publishes the report of the world population?
2. Write short answers to the following questions.

a. Prepare a list of works that UNFPA does to help countries manage their
population.

b. What are the main objectives of UNFPA?
c. Do some research and find information about UNFPA funded programs

currently running in Nepal.
d. Show the given statistics in a pie-chart.

Description Number
In-migration 250
Emigration 200
Birth 40
Death 08

e. Show the given data of population composition by language, Nepal (2068)
in a pie-chart.

Mother tongue Percentage (%)
Nepali 44.6
Maithili 11.7
Bhojpuri 6
Tharu 5.8

Community Work Project

Prepare a poster by including the logo of UNFPA and its main functions.

Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8 271

Unit Review

In this unit, we have learnt that :

• Demographic components like size of population, population growth, and
migration are the main factors affecting the quality of life.

• Population management means population control.

• According to the census of 2068 B.S, the total population of Nepal is 2, 64, 94, 504.

• Low literacy, early marriage, high fertility, low birth spacing, desire for male
children, high infant and child mortality rate, low decision making role of the
females, etc. are the major challenges for population management in Nepal.

• UNFPA is one of the agencies of the UNO which is helping in population
management of the world.

Test your Knowledge

Answer these questions.
1. Read the following passage and answer the questions given below.

The condition of elder citizens in population management.

People above 60 years of age are called the elder citizens. As the number of health
centers, health workers, doctors, and enough quality medicines is increasing,
the number of elder citizens is also increasing. Because of family planning and
education, the number of children gets decreased and elder citizens increases.
This will create a serious social problem in the future as there declines number
of active and energetic human resources required for the market. In the days to
come we all need to face the challenges.

Today’s elder people were the active population in the past. Today’s prosperous
world is the result of their inventions, discovery and hard work. Elder people
also can contribute a lot to the society. We are benefitted from the works of our
elders. Therefore, it is duty of us all to provide them an opportunity to live a
dignified life.

Questions:

a. Make a list of problems that can come in the future due to increase in
number of elder citizens.

b. Is it good or bad in increasing the number of elder citizens? Hold a debate
in the class.

c. What is your expectations from your family members, relatives,
neighbours, service giving organizations (hospitals, transportation, etc.)
and government when you will turn old?

d. There might be some elder member in your family. write about him / her.
Write his / her feelings as an elder citizen.

2. Make a list of the elements of quality of life.

272 Oasis Social Studies and Population Education 8