Schools should provide AIDS awareness class

THE EDUCATION authority in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province in western China, recently announced a plan that requires primary, middle and vocational schools in the region to include AIDS prevention teachings. This is a good move, China Youth Daily said on Thursday:

It is still unusual for elementary and middle schools to offer AIDS awareness classes. But it is necessary. According to the National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, the number of 15 to 24 year-olds that are HIV-positive has increased 35 percent since 2011. The number in the same age group that tested positive for the disease between January and October this year was 14,000.

People in this age group shouldn't be ignored any longer. As surveyed by Beijing News, 90 percent of university students have some general knowledge of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, but they are not aware of how to protect themselves. This is no doubt true of younger students.