AIDS and HIV tests have been removed from the draft list of health standards for teaching candidates in Guangdong province.

"That indicates that AIDS patients and HIV carriers will be able to become teachers when they pass qualification examinations for teachers in Guangdong starting in September, when the new standards come into effect," according to the revised draft of health standards published on Monday.

Currently, the province bars HIV carriers and AIDS patients from teaching positions.

The health standards have been criticized by many legal experts and residents as discriminating against HIV carriers and AIDS patients.

Guangdong is expected to become the first region on the mainland to stop mandatory HIV and AIDS tests for teaching candidates.

Xu Xinghua, a lawyer at the Kunming branch of Beijing Forever Law Firm in Yunnan province, said it is good news for the HIV carriers and AIDS patients on the mainland.

"Removing the HIV and AIDS checkup for teaching candidates has great significance and demonstrates Guangdong's open mind and high tolerance of HIV carriers and AIDS patients, who are usually discriminated against in employment opportunities," Xu said on Monday.

"China has laws and regulations protecting the rights of people with HIV and AIDS, including the right to employment. Denying them the jobs they deserve is depriving them of their right to contribute to society and earn a living," said Xu, who has long been studying and handling employment discrimination cases.

"I hope the other provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions will soon follow Guangdong's practice to remove all the discriminatory clauses against HIV carriers and AIDS patients," he said.

He urged local health and educational departments to continue efforts to promote knowledge of AIDS to eliminate irrational fear of the disease and help people who are HIV positive.

"People still need time to accept HIV carriers and AIDS patients," he said.

People with HIV and AIDS have filed an increasing number of lawsuits against authorities after they were denied jobs in provinces of Anhui, Sichuan and Jiangsu and some other regions recently, Xu said.

"Most of the plaintiffs lost their lawsuits, but such cases have helped to raise concern and awareness," he added.

Zhou Wei, a law professor at Sichuan University, said HIV carriers and AIDS patients should receive the same treatment as others in employment and education.

"Removing the clauses that discriminate against AIDS patients and HIV carriers is big progress," he said.

Shao Yiming, the chief AIDS expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said there is no reason to turn away HIV carriers and AIDS patients because the virus is passed through sexual activity, blood transfusion and from mother to fetus.

The recruitment of civil servants should also not require HIV and AIDS tests, he said.

While experts and lawyers praised the move, others still have concerns.

Wu Shenda, a teacher at the Guangdong Civil Affairs School, said he was in favor of the new revised standards for teaching candidates.

"But the fact that teachers have HIV or AIDS cannot be made public, or the teachers' daily work will be affected," he told China Daily.

"Few students would like to have a teacher with HIV or AIDS," he added.

Wang Chulan, a Guangzhou housewife, said she does not discriminate against people with HIV and AIDS.

"But I do worry about the spread of the deadly disease in schools if HIV carriers are employed," she said.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 05/28/2013 page7)