Regulation abolishing HIV tests for teachers sparks controversy(2)

Despite the regulation, HIV carriers in China still face rampant discrimination.

A recent survey by Beijing Yirenping Center, an NGO dedicated to promoting social justice and public health, suggested that 61 percent of the 729 HIV carriers it surveyed who live in urban areas could not find jobs and 20 percent rely on their families for financial support.

"In China, AIDS patients and HIV carriers are tagged as people with low morals, while teachers are considered people with high morals," said Guo Bin.

"This stereotypical judgment makes people think AIDS patients can never hold teaching posts," said Guo.

It is not easy for AIDS patients to seek legal help in China, and there have been only four court cases related to employment discrimination due to AIDS since 2010.

Xiao Qi (a pseudonym), China's first AIDS patient to receive compensation for discrimination, had his hopes of becoming a teacher reignited after hearing the news about Guangdong.

In November 2012, Xiao filed a suit against the education bureau of Jinxian County in east China's Jiangxi Province, because the bureau rejected his teaching application despite the high score he received on the teacher qualification examination.

Xiao received 45,000 yuan (7,275 U.S. dollars) in compensation from the county education bureau after a court ruling in January, but still has not been hired as a teacher.

"I never want to abandon my dream of becoming teacher," said Xiao. "I hope Guangdong's new health standards will spread across the country."