In a country experiencing one of the worst birth rates in the world, two South Korean universities are now offering courses that make it mandatory for students to date their classmates.

Professors at Dongguk and Kyung Hee universities in the capital, Seoul, say the courses on dating, sex, love and relationships aim to help reverse the trend where the younger generation are shunning traditional family lives.

A sharp decline in marriage has given rise to the new term “sampo generation”, referring to young people who have given up on courtship, wedlock and childbirth because of economic pressures like housing costs, unemployment and tuition fees.

Professor Jang Jae-sook, who founded the “Marriage and Family” course at Dongguk university, said students were being taught how to find the right partner and sustain healthy relationships.

“Korea’s fall in population has made dating and marriage important ... but young Koreans are too busy these days and clumsy in making new acquaintances,” she told the Sunday Telegraph.