Singapore Singles Offered Lessons in Love

BANGKOK, Thailand — The Singapore government is offering students lessons in seduction in an attempt to boost the city state's flagging birth rates.

Students at two polytechnics can earn two credits towards their final degree by choosing the love elective. Activities include watching romantic films, holding hands, and "love song analysis." Besides "love and sexuality," the curriculum also deals with the importance of family life.

The "trainers" are provided by the Social Development Unit, a government match-making agency that has married off 33,000 people since it was established in 1984.

But it is not so easy to put Singaporean youth in the mood for love. A student, Kamal Prakash, said that the course has improved his relationship with his parents but he is still single. "I'm not really looking for a girlfriend now as I want to concentrate on my studies."