Guangdong's provincial education department announced a new rule to tackle the difficulty that children from HIV-carrier families face when seeking education, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Tuesday.

The new rule would also protect the right to free compulsory education of HIV-carrier children, the report said.

No excuse would be accepted if a school refused to take in any child from a family with an HIV carrier or young patients of school age, the new rule stipulates.

Any school violating the rule will be severely punished. Schools are obliged to keep confidential personal information of HIV positive students and children. Schools or their staff will be held responsible for any discriminating comments or behavior toward HIV-positive students.

(Shenzhen Daily January 19, 2005)