China's first primary school established especially for children
affected by AIDS held its opening ceremony Friday in a hospital in
Linfen, in the northern Shanxi province, the Xinhua News Agency
reported.
Eight children aged from six to eleven attended the opening
ceremony. All of them acquired AIDS through mother-to-child
transmission and had lost their mothers.
To make sure that such children get access to an education,
Linfen Hospital for Infectious Disease funded the primary school,
called Red Ribbon Primary School, within its AIDS Treatment
Center.
Using the same teaching material issued by China's education
authorities as used by other primary schools, Red Ribbon Primary
School has been equipped with an adequate teaching facility as well
as professional teachers and staff who can nurse the children.
Currently, the school teaches curriculum from grade one to
four.
The hospital took counsel with the children's guardians and got
their approval before recruiting them. All of the school's students
registered of their own free will.
The hospital has said that it will provide free accommodations
for those children who will be receiving regular treatment at the
same time.
Linfen Hospital for Infectious Disease has treated more than 300
AIDS patients including many children suffering from AIDS.
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(CRI September 2, 2006)
