A top Shanghai high school has secured approval to open the city's first two all boys' classes at the start of the new school year in September, in a pilot programme designed to tackle a 'masculinity crisis' in mainland education.
The move has spurred debate about whether the problem - weak male students who perform poorly academically and lack leadership - actually exists.
Shanghai No 8 Senior High School headmaster Lu Jinsheng said the Huangpu District Education Department and the East China Normal University had submitted a proposal to the municipal education bureau to turn his school into an all boys' institution, but the authorities gave the green light to just two all-boys' classes on Thursday last week.
'The authorities are being cautious in their consideration of this issue and said our pilot programme should be rolled out gradually and in several phases,' Lu said.
He said the idea of an all-boys' school was based on the fact that boys generally achieve far lower academic scores than girls, and most class leaders were girls.
Lu said female students tended to study well, and were more likely to be recognised by teachers because they matured faster than boys and were usually more expressive, disciplined and obedient, while boys did not concentrate on their studies and were rebellious.
'As a result, the confidence of many boys is affected adversely and they lose interest in their studies,' Lu said.
