China eyes teaching 'relationship education' in universities to increase the country's birth rate
In light of the country's decreasing birth rate, the Chinese Ministry of Education has extended its support to add "love and marriage" values to their university and college curriculums.
Per South China Morning Post (SCMP), the move comes after the National People's Congress (NPC) Deputy Huang Xihua recommended that family education be taught in schools to normalize the conversation on love and sex.
The lessons could include "vast and enthusiastic cultural activities on campus" and guide young minds in knowing "the correct view of love, marriage, and family."
It ultimately seeks to teach families as "an important basis for national development, national progress, and social harmony."
"Young students will have expectations and desires for an intimate relationship, but they are yet to be clear about its significance on a personal level," sex education specialist Liu Wenli shared with SCMP in favor of the college lessons.
"If there is a course that gives them some guidance, many dilemmas and obstacles can be avoided."
This wouldn't be the first that a country with concerning birth rates has pushed national initiatives for its countrymen. Back in 2020, Japan invested 2 billion yen (P923 million) in AI matchmaking to boost the country's tumbling birth rate in the past years.