HSC English First Paper | Unit: 5, Lesson: 2 | Adolescence | Adolescence and Some (Related) Problems in Bangladesh

1. Warm up activity;

* Look at the pictures and discuss the following questions in pairs.

a. What does each of these photographs show?

b. What are some typical health problems affecting adolescent boys and girls?

c. Who, do you think, are more vulnerable to adolescent health problems-boys or girls? Why?

d. Why should all of us say 'No' to habit-forming drugs of every kind?

2. Now read about some typical health problems experienced by adolescent girls and boys in Bangladesh.

i. Adolescents constitute a nation's core resource for national renewal and growth. Adolescence is a period in life when transition from childhood to adulthood takes place and behaviours and life styles are shaped. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), adolescence is the period which shapes the future of girls' and boys' lives. There are 28 million adolescents in Bangladesh; 13.7 million of them are girls and 14.3 million boys.

ii. The situation of adolescent girls in Bangladesh is characterised by inequality and subordination within the family and society. This inequality leads to widespread practice of child marriage, marginalization in exclusion from health, education and economic opportunities, and vulnerability to violence and sexual abuse.

iii. In Bangladesh, the legal age of marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. However, 33 percent of adolescent girls are married before the age of 15 and 60 percent become mothers by the age of 19. Research finds that adolescents with higher level of education and from more affluent families tend to marry at a later age. Boys, however, become ready for marriage only after several years of adolescence and young adulthood.

iv. When a girl gets married, she usually drops out of school and begins full-time work, in her in-laws' household. In the in-laws house, she is marginalized. She becomes vulnerable to all forms of abuse, including dowry-related violence. In Bangladesh, it is still common for a bride's family to pay dowry, despite the practice being illegal. Dowry demands can also continue after the wedding. For an adolescent bride, even if her in-laws are supportive, there are greater health risks in terms of pregnancy and child birth. The majority of adolescent brides and their families are uninformed or insufficiently informed about reproductive health and contraception. The maternal mortality rate for adolescents is double the national rate.

v. When adolescent girls are pulled out of school, either for marriage or work, they often lose their mobility, their friends and social status. The lack of mobility among adolescent girls also curtails their economic and non-formal educational opportunities. Moreover, they lack information about health issues. According to a study, only about three in five adolescents have even heard of HIV. It is also reported that more than 50 percent of adolescent girls are undernourished and suffer from anemia. Adolescent fertility is also high in Bangladesh. The contribution of the adolescent fertility rate to the total fertility rate increased from 20.3% in 1993 to 24.4% in 2007. Moreover, neonatal mortality is another concern for younger mothers.

vi. While the situation for adolescent boys is somewhat better, many are vulnerable and lack the power to make decisions about their own lives. Many boys who are unable to go to school, or are unemployed, remain unaware of social or health issues. They are at considerable risk of being drawn into criminal activities. They are also more likely to get exposed to drugs and alcohol.

Sources:

1. Health Profile of Adolescents and Youth in Bangladesh, Government of Bangladesh, 2007, available at: http ^/bamsearo. who. m t/LinkFUcs/Publicati(»_Hcalft_Pro pd£

2. Unite for Children, UNICEF, Adolescent Empowerment Project in Bangladesh, 2009, available at

http://www.unicef.org./bangladcsh/Adolcseent Empowerment %28KA%29.pdf

3. Read the following statements and decide if they are true or false. If a statement is false, correct it.

a. In Bangladesh there are more adolescent boys than adolescent girls.

b. Many girls in Bangladesh get married before they reach the legal age for marriage.

c. A bride's family has to pay dowry only before the wedding.

d. More than half of Bangladeshi adolescent girls cannot meet their dietary needs.

e. Many adolescent boys in Bangladesh are likely to be involved in various forms of criminal offence.

4. Column A of the following table lists some causes while Column B lists some effects. Match the causes with the effects and join them to make sentences using 'as', 'since' or 'because'.

Column A: Causes

Column B: Effects

I. Some adolescent girls have higher level of education. U. Boys are usually more concerned about their financial independence. iii. Many girls drop out of school after marriage. Iv. Married girls have no status and bargaining power in their in-laws' house. v.  Most adolescent brides have no or little knowledge of reproductive health and contraception. vi. Many   adolescent   boys arc unemployed and unaware of many social or health issues.

a. This leads to increased mortality rates   among adolescent brides during childbirth. b. They have to work all day long at their in-laws' household. c. They gel married several years after adolescence and young adulthood. d. They become victims of domestic violence. e. They have a tendency of getting married at a later age. f.  They have the risks of getting involved  in  criminal activities, including drug abuse.

5. Find out the meanings of the words given below and make sentences with them:

a.  dowry

b.         mobility

c contraception d. undernourished

c.          vulnerable

6. The above text has six paragraphs (i-vi). Choose the most suitable headings for the paragraphs from the list of headings below. There are more headings in the box than the paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.

               List of headings

1. Reasons for adolescent fertility

2. Concerted efforts to address adolescents' needs

3. Significance of adolescent population

4. A process of disempowerment of women

5. The curse of early marriage

6. Consequences of taking drugs

7. Unfortunate state of adolescent girls

8. Boys are not free from risks

9. Violence within the family

If you want to read the next lesson of this unit please click the link below:
Lesson 3: Why Does a Child Hate School?

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HSC English First Paper | Unit: 5, Lesson: 1 | Adolescence | The Storm and Stress of Adolescence

1. Warm up activity:

Discuss the questions in pair.

* What age group do you belong to? (16-17,18-21,22-23).

* Do you think you are old enough to lace the world?

* Do you ever feel that people do not pay you much attention because of your age? Why?

2. Read the text below and answer the questions that follow:

i. Children must pass through several stages in their lives to become adults. For most people, there are four or five such stages of growth where they learn certain things: infancy (birth to age 2% early childhood (3 to 8 year?), late childhood (9 to 12 years) and adolescence (13 to 18 years). Persons 18 and over are considered adults in our society. Of course, there are some who will try to act older than their years. But, for the most part, most individuals have to go through these stages irrespective of their economic or social status.

ii. World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies adolescence as the period in human growth and development that occurs after childhood and "before adulthood. This phase represent* one of the critical transitions in one's life span and is characterized by feat paced growth and change which are second only to those at infancy. Biological processes drive many aspects of this growth and development with the onset of puberty marking the passage from childhood to adolescence. The biological determinants of adolescence are fairly universal; however, the duration and defining characteristics of this period may vary across time, cultures, and socio-economic situations. This period has seen many change over the past century-puberty for example, comes earlier than before, people marry late, and their sexual attitudes and behaviors are different from their grandparents, or even parents. Among the factors responsible for the change are education, urbanization and spread of global communication.

iii. The time of adolescence is a period of preparation for adulthood during which one experiences several key developments. Besides physical and sexual maturation, these experiences include movement toward social and economic independence, development of identity, the acquisition of skills needed to carry out adult relationships and roles and the capacity for abstract reasoning. While adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and potential, it is also a time of considerable risks during which social contexts exert powerful influences.

iv. Many adolescents face pressure to use alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs and to initiate sexual relationships putting themselves at high risk for intentional and unintentional injuries, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Many also experience a wide range of adjustment and mental health problems. Behavior patterns that are established during this period such as the use or avoidance of drugs and taking or abstaining from sexual risk can have long-lasting negative and positive effects on future health and well-being. As a result, adults have unique opportunities to influence adolescents.

v. Adolescents are different both from young children and adults. Specifically, adolescents are not fully capable of understanding complex concepts, or the relationship between behaviour and consequences, or the degree of control they have or can have over health decision-making, including that related to sexual behaviour. This inability may make them particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and high-risk behaviors. Laws, customs, and practices may also affect

adolescents differently than adults. For example, laws and policies often restrict adolescents' access to reproductive health information and services, especially when they are unmarried. In addition, even when services do exist, provider attitudes about adolescents often pose a significant barrier to the use of those services.

vi. Adolescents depend on their families, their communities, schools, health services and their workplaces to leam a wide range of skills that can help them to cope with the pressures they face and make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood. Parents, members of the community, service providers, and social institutions have the responsibility to both promote adolescent development and adjustment and to intervene effectively when problems arise.

[Source: http://www.who.int/maternal child adolescent/topics/adolescence/dev/en/ http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/child-development/teens_stages]

3. The passage above has six paragraphs (i-vi). Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs (i-vi) from the list given below. There are more headings in the box than the number of paragraphs, so you will not use all of them.

               List of headings

a. A journey towards adulthood

b. Adolescence and education

c. Stages of human life

d. Need for collective efforts

e. An observation by World Health Organisation

f. A transition period

g. The adverse effects of taking drugs

h. Influence of culture on adolescents

i. Potential health hazards

j. A vulnerable age

4. Match the words in Column A with the meanings in Column B in the table below:

Column A	Column B
adolescence	extraordinarily large in size, extent, amount, power, or degree
determinants	something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition
acquisition	to become involved in something (such as a conflict) in order to have an influence on what happens
tremendous	the period of physical and psychological development from the onset of puberty to maturity
exert
	susceptible to injury or disease
consequence	a change from one thing to the next, either in action or state of being
vulnerable	the act of acquiring or gaining possession
intervene	a factor or cause that makes something happen or leads directly to a decision
transition	to put forth effort to do something

5. Answer the following questions:

a. What changes are experienced by the adolescent youths?

b. What are some of the potential health risks faced by the adolescents?

c. How are the adolescents different from the children and adults?

d. What role can the society and community play in promoting the adolescents?

e. Do you think you are getting enough support from your family, school and community? What do you expect them to do for your proper development?

6. Suppose you are going to give a presentation on the possible health problems that adolescent youths may face: What problems will you highlight and what solutions would you offer? Write a paragraph (about 150 words) introducing the topic.

7. What do the following words and terms mean?

a. infancy

b. puberty

c. transition

d. defining characteristic

e. provider attitude

If you want to read the next lesson of this unit please click the link below:
Lesson 2: Adolescence and Some (Related) Problems in Bangladesh

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