The reductive impact of educational improvement on the fertility of local population: Confirmation from Besut Baru, Terengganu

Human fertility is a fundamental element in the natural process of biological reproduction and preservation of the human society. Without it population will not increase. Educational advancement is a major factor in reducing human fertility. In Malaysia, the implementation of the New Economic Policy had amplified women’s educational advancement empowering them to obtain better skills and jobs. The downsides of this were postponement of marriage, shortening of reproductive period and reduction in child births . This paper examines the impact of improved education on the fertility trends of the Terengganu state generally, and that of Kampung Raja, Besut Baru specifically. The Trengganu general results demonstrate persistent reductions in the Crude Death and Infant Mortality rates since 1957 due to women’s improved health conditions and educational attainment, and the fact that women no longer place much importance to marriage. Spinsterhood and marriage postponement had led to the shortening of women’s reproductive period and in the potential number of child births. All these reductive fertility trends were empirically confirmed, albeit rather unevenly depending on local socio-economic and physical conditions, by the findings of the 2005 micro study conducted in Kampung Raja, Besut Baru. In conclusion, both Trengganu and Besut Baru must brace themselves for the prospects of lower replacement level of their populations with all the attendant implications on their ongoing development and wellbeing.