AIDS children have legal right to get education

The State Council Commission on the Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS estimates that there are about 8,000 children under 14 infected with the disease in China, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts:

The children, who were infected by their mothers, suffer life-long discrimination and cannot get a full education.

Once their status is disclosed, both their classmates and their school differentiate them from other children.

But they have a legal right to receive education. It's the responsibility of the government to create the necessary conditions to help them get their education, like other kids.

The virus can only be transmitted through blood, sexual contacts and mother-to-child infections. Normal-life contacts will not lead to infection. So the discrimination against the children can only be justified by the public's ignorance and prejudices.

Some people asked for special schools for these children. This would naturally label these kids as different from the others because of unjustified fear and ignorance.

Receiving their education together with other children at school is the best way to create a normal education environment for children infected with HIV/AIDS.

According to Chinese law, these children are fully qualified to enter normal schools. The virus they carry should not serve as an excuse to deprive them of their legal rights.

Rejecting AIDS students is illegal for schools, just like a hospital can't reject AIDS patients. Schools should be the main driving force to correct the social discrimination against AIDS students, not be a part of a big misunderstanding based on ignorance.