The Student Personality Development Programme carried out by the Terengganu Education Department aims to boost the confidence of male students facing an identity crisis.     

State education, higher education, science, technology and human resources committee chairperson Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said today that the department had taken a pro-active approach by implementing the programme involving 66 male students in Besut last week.     

"This is an initiative that we have taken in response to the call of the Education Ministry for schools to emphasise four aspects of development - physical, emotional, spiritual and intellectual.     

"We have taken an early step towards realising this by identifying male students who are not active in associations, uniformed bodies and sports to join the personality development programme," he told Bernama .     

He was commenting on a report in an English daily that the department held a camp for effeminate male students.         

The report quoted several psychologists who said they feared that the camp would put  pressure on the students involved.     

Ahmad Razif said he was disappointed with the perception that the course was for effeminate students, which had resulted in the participants feeling uncomfortable, and some were teased by their peers.     

He urged those responsible for the report to rectify it. "We only held a  course to build student character," he said.      

"We held the first phase of the programme last week and we will carry out the programme state-wide later because we not only want students to excel in their studies, but also in sports and other co-curriculum activities," he said.     

- Bernama