E/C.12/CHN/CO/2 all persons throughout the State party, particularly to disadvantaged and marginalized individuals, ethnic minorities and rural-to-urban migrants; (b) Increase the budgetary allocations to the health sector and ensure their equitable distribution among the provincial, municipal and local authorities; (c) Strengthen training for health-care professionals by implementing a national plan to develop human resources in the health-care sector. The Committee refers the State party to its general comment No. 14 (2000) on the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Persons with HIV/AIDS 34. Despite the adoption of regulations to eliminate the persistent discrimination against persons affected by HIV/AIDS, the Committee is concerned that persons living with HIV/AIDS still face social stigmatization from the public at large, as well as discrimination in employment, in education and, particularly, in access to health care, including refusal of treatment. The Committee is also concerned about the lack of adequate measures taken by the State party to prevent HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases, particularly in rural areas (arts. 2, para. 2; and 12). The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Take effective measures to repeal or amend laws and policies that perpetuate the stigmatization and rejection of persons living with HIV/AIDS and adversely impact on any progress made in combating HIV; (b) Take all necessary measures to ensure the appropriate access of persons living with HIV/AIDS to health care, employment and education on an equal basis with others; (c) Take adequate measures to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, in particular among groups at risk and in rural areas; (d) Undertake awareness-raising activities aimed at promoting understanding of the modes of transmission of HIV and tolerance towards persons living with HIV/AIDS among medical staff, employers and the population at large and measure the impact thereof. Access to education 35. While welcoming the efforts made by the State party to reach the goal of 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) expenditure on education and the establishment of nine years of free compulsory education, the Committee notes with concern that unequal geographic distribution of funds is increasing the disparities in access to, and availability of, education between urban and rural areas. The Committee is also concerned that compulsory education is still not free and is often unaffordable for children in rural areas and poor urban areas. In addition, the Committee notes that the costs for secondary education are excessively high, being one of the main factors associated with dropout, particularly among children from ethnic minorities and children of rural-to-urban migrant workers (arts. 13 and 14). The Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Take appropriate measures to ensure the equal distribution of funds with a view to ensuring equal access to, and availability of, education in urban and rural areas; (b) Ensure that the nine years of compulsory public education is free; 11