China is urging colleges and universities to provide "love education" to emphasise positive views on marriage, love, fertility and family, in a bid to boost the country's flagging birth rate.
Beijing has been promoting various measures to try to make having children more attractive to young couples after China posted a second consecutive year of population decline in 2023.
China has the second-biggest population in the world at 1.4 billion, but it is ageing quickly, which will increase the demands on government spending in the future and put pressure on the economy.
College students will be the biggest driver of fertility but they have significantly changed their views on marriage and love, the Jiangsu Xinhua newspaper group said, citing China Population News, an official publication.
"Colleges and universities should assume the responsibility of providing marriage and love education to college students by offering marriage and love education courses," the publication said.
The measures would help create a "healthy and positive marriage and childbearing cultural atmosphere."
The state council, or cabinet, rallied local governments in November to direct resources towards fixing China's population decline and spread respect for childbearing and marriages "at the right age," although demographers said the moves were unlikely to resonate with young Chinese.
Around 57% of college students polled by China Population News said they did not want to fall in love, mainly because they did not know how to allocate time to balance the relationship between study and love, the publication said.
Due to the lack of "systematic and scientific marriage and love education, college students have a vague understanding of emotional relationships."
Universities could focus on teaching junior college students about population and national conditions, new marriage and childbearing concepts, it said.
Senior college students and graduate students could be taught through "case analysis, group discussion on maintaining intimate relationships and communication between the sexes."
The courses would be able to help them "improve their ability to correctly understand marriage and love and manage love relationships."
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were confirmed dead in ...
Just days after a deadly Manhattan shooting, the Trump administration is cutting New York City's anti-terrorism funding by $64 million, sparking backl...
The Russian and Chinese naval vessels have practiced pursuing and destroying an enemy submarine in the Sea of Japan, Russia's defense ministry said on...
The Princess of Wales has launched a series of animated films on YouTube aimed at supporting children's emotional and social development. The project,...
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will begin an official visit to Russia on Thursday to meet with President Vladimir ...
The Russian and Chinese naval vessels have practiced pursuing and destroying an enemy submarine in the Sea of Japan, Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday.
China can visit South Korea without a visa from the end of September until June next year. Seoul made the announcement for temporary visa-free entry to tourist groups on Wednesday (6 August).
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday as Switzerland races to secure a deal that would prevent a severe 39% tariff on its exports to the United States.
Indonesia is redirecting shrimp exports to China after new U.S. tariffs of 19% froze orders from its top buyer, risking a 30% drop in sales and one million jobs. The $1.7 billion industry faces steep losses as exporters scramble to find alternative markets.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
Most peace talks fail. Some drag on for years. Others collapse in days. But even when they don’t succeed, they can save lives. From backchannel meetings to battlefield truces, here’s how peace talks actually work — and why making peace is often harder than making war.
Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were confirmed dead in a helicopter crash that claimed eight lives, Ghana’s Chief of Staff Julius Debrah announced.
Just days after a deadly Manhattan shooting, the Trump administration is cutting New York City's anti-terrorism funding by $64 million, sparking backlash from state officials and raising security concerns.
The Russian and Chinese naval vessels have practiced pursuing and destroying an enemy submarine in the Sea of Japan, Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will begin an official visit to Russia on Thursday to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment