Where's the romance?

THIS programme is an insult to the youth of this generation.

Dating is an age-old art with different approaches to attract the opposite sex. How can such techniques be reduced to a formula and taught within the confines of a classroom?

By churning out 'model' students, this takes the romance out of dating. What's next? An inter-junior college (JC) dating competition?

Would outstanding grades count towards admission into tertiary institutions, with a special award going to the first student to get married?

Allow young people to learn and develop their own dating techniques. JCs are where students build their academic foundation for university, not a stage for social experiments.

I shudder to think of the consequences of this programme: relationships without imagination, creativity or passion.

Tabitha Mok, 22, is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Western Australia

Godsend for introverts

FOR the quiet, reserved junior college student, this Social Development Unit (SDU) initiative could be a godsend.

Back when I was in JC and freshly inserted into a co-educational academic environment with nary an idea on the rules of dating, I could certainly have used some help from SDU in taking that vital first step.

Admittedly, it is a tad embarrassing to learn about the dating game from the school curriculum, but acutely introverted, inexperienced students will relish the opportunity to gain any knowledge on the topic.

The programme can also help refine dating concepts for the rest of the student population.

The SDU initiative is a bold step in the right direction.

Wiliam Tham, 24, is a final-year business student at the Singapore Management University

Will values be imposed on us?

SDU's new programme will have to address several important questions.

Can the programme accommodate different views of relationships? What if some students' relationship goals differ from what SDU thinks is appropriate?

Will the facilitator then seek to eliminate these 'wrong' views and impose his values on them?

In a previous in-school session about relationships involving external facilitators, one of them spoke up strongly about alternate sexualities, deeming them an 'unnatural consequence of underlying psychological problems'.

This leads me to wonder if SDU, with its pro-family mindset, will be able to cater to students with alternate sexual orientations and not alienate them instead.

I hope diversity and pluralism in relationships will be embraced when the programme is put into place, not suppressed.

Adrienne de Souza, 21, is pursuing a postgraduate diploma in education at the National Institute of Education

Let nature take its course

DO WE really need the extra help in dating and relationships?

There are plenty of notes worth taking from Hollywood movies.

Watched Hitch yet? I did.

Or just visit the library and go to the section under 'Love' and 'Relationships', and choose from tonnes of self-help books.

More classes in school teaching me the same thing? No thanks, I'll pass.

My parents also managed well enough without such courses.

This despite my father being Chinese and my mother Malay, and violent initial objections from their parents and relatives.

They never received any education on long-term relationships, yet they are going strong even after 20 years. They are my best example that meaningful, long- term relationships do come naturally.

Way to go, parents!

Nurul Liyana Yeo, 17, is a first-year mass communications student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Provide more than just dating tips

FOR many, 10 straight years of academia can be a bit of an obstacle to socialising and dating. So if SDU is giving us some help in the dating scene, you won't hear me complaining.

When the unit's programme rolls out, I hope it will teach students to differentiate between lust and genuine love.

After all, many of my peers are susceptible to raging hormones, and the spectre of teenage pregnancy always looms over the horizon.

Also, other than academic pressure, one of the reasons for attempted suicide among youth is failed relationships.

I hope that the programme will teach us to cope with the trauma of break-ups, and not just dish out tips on building good relationships.

Chong Joe En, 17, is a humanities student at Anglo-Chinese Junior College

Good intentions might backfire

REGARDLESS of intention, this programme might encourage teenagers to get into relationships, by giving them the wrong message that they are ready.

As some schools consider student relationships an aberration that can affect academic results, why bring the problem right to their doorsteps?

This will only further sour the student-teacher relationship, which is already shaken by existing generation gaps and conflicting ideologies.

Teachers might even break up relationships, deeming it as 'helping' the students and upsetting them in the process.

Furthermore, the spike in relationships might lead to more teenage pregnancies or the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

As a student myself, I am all for teenage romance, but leave it out of the curriculum.

Bryan Toh, 16, is a first-year mass communications student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Aug 18, 2008.