Anti-drug and AIDS-prevention education will be introduced at Shanghai elementary schools for the first time to teach students how to stay healthy in the modern society, the Shanghai Education Commission announced on December 28.

Starting next semester, local schools will offer health education lessons to all primary and secondary school students, aged seven to 18, every other week.

Course content will involve basic knowledge and prevention of diseases, such as AIDS, SARS, bird flu and sexually-transmitted diseases.

Hot social issues such as illegal drug use and youth Internet addiction will also be included in the courses, commission officials said.

"The complicated health environment in the current world and continuously emerging new epidemics, have raised great challenge for educators," said Li Junxiu, the commission's vice director.

He added teachers should take joint efforts to let students know about health and how to maintain good health.

Previously, health education in local schools covered only traditional health problems and regular emergency injury treatment. Courses weren't given on a regular basis, officials said.

The new health courses will teach grade-five students what drugs are. Grade-seven students will be taught about AIDS concepts.

For high school graduates, AIDS and drug control strategies and correct condom use will be discussed in the health class.

All the health education will be carried out by school faculty rather than doctors.

To ensure education quality, the commission set up the city's first youth AIDS prevention training center at Shanghai Second Medical University yesterday. It specializes in training local anti-AIDS faculties.

Also yesterday, the commission designated the first batch of 48 local schools and universities as a city-level "healthy campus" for their clean environment and good overall health conditions.

(Shanghai Daily December 29, 2004)