Girls in South China's Guangdong province will get a crash course on how to resist the sweet talk of "sugar daddies" when schools start teaching them about self-respect.

The pilot project is aimed at telling girls at middle and elementary schools how to avoid falling into the clutches of older, richer men and stand on their own two feet.

"The education will focus on self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance and self-improvement," said Lei Yulan, vice-governor of Guangdong and director of the Working Committee on Children and Women of Guangdong province.

"We hope to get experience from this pilot program and then gradually roll it out across the province."

She revealed the plan at a symposium on Monday where Miao Meixian, the former principal of Guangdong Female Technical Secondary School, criticized the phenomenon that has seen many female college students and graduates become mistresses or marry sugar daddies and become full-time housewives.

Miao said the young women were settling for such a life in part because of deficiencies and failures in the education of girls.

Lei said the draft Development Plan for Women and Children of Guangdong Province (2011-2020), which is under discussion, will tackle the problem.

Sociologists have welcomed the initiative, saying such a program will help.