A Hangzhou-based training center, which used to be known as the West Point Boys, has witnessed enthusiastic participation by boys sent by their parents in recent years.

The training center sets special courses for boys during school vacations, including physical activities like taekwondo, skating, swimming, basketball and other courses like speeches and debates.

Many parents spoke highly of the training center, saying it helps foster their kids' masculinity and gentlemanlike manners.

The Beijing-based Guangming Daily says the training center became popular because boys are rendered as a vulnerable group under the current education system. As there are more and more women teachers in China's elementary and secondary schools, they mainly focus on students' academic scores, and seldom arrange activities for boy students to cultivate their masculinity. As girl students often work hard and do well in their studies, they have many more chances to become student leaders and win various honors. In contrast, naughty and vagarious boys are often criticized and required to behave themselves, which actually do harm to their personality development.

The paper quotes some experts as saying that it is of vital importance to cultivate boy students' initiatives in studies and activities, and that more efforts are needed to foster their special talents. This is why the Hangzhou training center has made its success. Experts have urged that all schools modify their course arrangement to ensure the healthy development of boy students.