Awareness or Family Planning

By: Prem Prasad Sigdel

The concept of family planning is much popular in Nepalese society. It has pious aim to control unwanted babies for the parents and the panacea of population control in 21^st century. The growing world population should have been controlled due to the lack of resources so tht Nepal government has been taking it as only one way of controlling soaring population. Several benefits can be ensured by family planning such as healthy, prosperous, peaceful, and planned family which can contribute for human peace and development of the nation. Some of the religious fanatics have taken it negatively; the population shouldn’t be controlled according to them; we can take example of Muslims who have considered it as sin if they have listened name of family planning only. They have the statute to increase their population as far as possible.

Family planning census has put me in confusion or controversy as the educated lots don’t use it rather the population has been controlled. On the other hand, the poor are giving birth to many children though their use of family planning means is high. Similarly, in the developed countries, the rich and the celebrities have given birth to many children in comparison to the underprivileged. The controversy of education or family planning or both of the elements can go together or not?  Those who are educated wouldn’t do family planning though their population is being controlled. The concept seems a kind of challenge for the policy makers as it has been far from general norms of knowledge society. Those who are educated have less interest in family planning unlike the uneducated one. The question comes what we need: family planning means or education. With the increasing population from the laymen population control has become one of the challenges in every society.

The poor people have no access in education which has greater influence in family planning as mentioned already. Thought they have used the means their population has been growing rapidly unlike the educated. They have been also aware of the family planning but they can’t control it due to various problems. Firstly, they don’t have money to buy temporary means of family planning. Secondly, they aren’t aware about their future prospects due to lack of education. Thirdly, some of them have taken population as a source of income. Fourthly, some of them have taken their children as their old age friends. Fifthly, some of the persons have thought to increase the followers of their religion. Hence the concept of family planning and education has some gap. If we can balance, we will be able to get the positive result.

Mostly in developing countries those who have more children have been poverty stricken in contrast to developed countries. Some of the government of developed countries have encouraged having more children to the parents. For example Russia has given prize like cars to its people who have more than two children. Still most of the people have fewer children as they have been influenced by education. In rich countries, rich people have more children in comparison to the poor people. We have seen that some of the celebrities and the rich people have more than two children in comparison to commoner. They have taken it as the sense of privilege of having more children. The controversy of having more and less children in developed and developing countries have taken controversial trend. In developing countries rich people have fewer children unlike the poor; whereas in the developed countries rich people have many children in comparison to the poor. Thus the trend has controversial result which is mysterious yet. It’s evident that education or awareness has played main role rather than the means of family planning.

On the other hand, social trend or system has also influenced the trend of child bearing or rearing. The social tradition of the developed and developing countries has made significant gap in this matter. The controversial trend has pointed out different understanding or conception regarding the population growth irrespective of the family planning measures. Those who are greatly aware about the planning can have children according to their capacity. The westerns have got life guarantee and they have no problem to have more children. Western social tradition has set accordingly which can’t match to the Eastern. However, we can take examples of the effect of family planning as we have been developing.

What can be real: either education or means of family planning? I have been in conclusion that education has played main role in controlling population rather than means. The concept of family planning is replaced by education! The policy makers should analyze it before they have set plan of family planning. The concept of poverty reduction through education in developing country can be imperative in family planning. The poor live in extreme poverty that the 80% resource of the world has been captured by the rich. However, 80% of the population has been constructed by poor. The duality of population and resource holding is quite interesting yet mysterious.

The poor are rounding in vicious circle of poverty and they have problem when they can’t get proper education. The control of population is also possible with education rather than means. Means can be one of the means but the greater share has been taken by education or awareness. Since the resource has been captured by the rich their children can be more which seems natural. In Western context it is good but not in Eastern context. It suggests that the Eastern rich has been castrated by the family planning programs.

Only education has upward mobility which prepares foundation for prosperity. From Western examples we can be clear to the above statement. We should realize the fact that education is much more prominent means of population control in comparison to means. Or education can replace the means of family planning in this prospect. If the means have played role to control population, why doesn’t it able to stop population of developing countries? Is it better to change our focus from means to education? Ultimately, education can be an effective means to control population. To improve the social condition is much better means than the advertisement on radio and television. It’s better to ban the means of disease rather than treatment after being affected. Means is means which can’t change our mind from its root. As a corollary, we should have focused on education not on means.