What is next? Telling us how many babies we should have???
Oh....
March 20, 2008
Love in theory
Polytechnics offer elective on dating and romance
By Jane Ng , Theresa Tan
POLYTECHNIC student Isabel Seet spends part of her time in class watching romantic movies, listening to sappy music and holding hands with boys.
But it's all okay. In fact, the sessions are even encouraged by her teacher.
The 18-year-old is enrolled in a new course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic designed to teach students the ins and outs of dating and love.
Titled 'Understanding Relationships: Love And Sexuality', the elective is one of two courses launched last year in a government bid to get young Singaporeans hitched. The other is offered by Singapore Polytechnic.
Through role-play, case studies and quizzes, students at Ngee Ann Polytechnic learn about matters of the heart. Some of the activities include online chatting and speed dating, which see students quickly chat before moving on to another partner. However, the course has not resulted in any classmates pairing up - yet.
Not all lessons are about romantic love, though. The 'Love Relations For Life - A Journey Of Romance, Love And Sexuality' course at Singapore Polytechnic also focuses on issues like the importance of family.
One student, Mr Kamal Prakash, 20, said his relationship with his parents has improved as a result of the course. He also earned two credits from the general elective module, which counted towards his graduation.
In fact, the module is so popular that Singapore Polytechnic is offering 600 places this year, up from 360 in the last academic year.
While both Mr Prakash and Miss Seet are not attached yet, they agreed the tips they have picked up will be useful for future relationships.
Mr Prakash added: 'I think most people who take the course would find it easier to get a girlfriend. But I'm not really looking for a girlfriend now as I want to concentrate on my studies.'
Besides these love electives, the Social Development Unit (SDU), the Government's match-maker, is also funding activities by varsity student bodies which offer opportunities for students to pair up.
So what do parents think of these efforts to fan the flames of love in school?
Miss Seet's mother wants her daughter to focus on her studies. Madam Sally Heng, a 51-year-old clerk, said: 'It's okay for Isabel to learn about these things since she will have relationships in future, but I hope she will concentrate on her studies first.'
The SDU has spent some $275,000 to promote love and marriage for over 90,000 students in the last few years, said Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon.
'We don't want to wait until people come to the SDU, so we reach out to students when they are still young.'
She was speaking to the media at the launch of We Are Married, an effort to celebrate healthy marriages organised by the National Family Council. The council surveyed 500 randomly selected married people last year and found that 99 per cent of respondents said they were 'very satisfied' with their marriages.
2 comments:
They ARE already hinting us how many babies we should have what...
yeah, i know. the "oh..." was meant to be sarcastic....
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