National exams are approaching, so the 9th grade and the 12th students grade have to study really hard to pass the test, as it will determine their graduation results. While the rest of the students in other cities prepare themselves with studying hard, the students in Jember, East Java, may have to prepare their virginity status as well. This is because the Parliament of Jember plans to make virginity tests and being a virgin part of their graduation requirements.
This discourse began to rise after Jember’s Commission D Council did a Coordination Meeting of the Legislature with the Department of Education. The Parliament is planning a draft of Akhlakul Karimah (on good and commendable behavior) that are motivated by the worsening of HIV cases in Jember: in 2006, the number of people living with HIV in Jember are recorded at 1,200 and about 10 percent of these people are students.
It's actually good news that the government in Jember pays more attention on the new cases of HIV, but is their plan on making virginity tests a graduation requirement actually the right move to minimalize HIV cases among young people in Jember? I think that the government has to open their eyes wider and become more open minded in dealing with people having sex before marriage and HIV infections. Making virginity tests a compulsary graduation requirement is not being open minded; the right thing to do is to provide young people with correct information and facts about HIV/AIDS and how they can protect themselves and their partner from getting infected. By giving them the informations they need, they will be able to think before they act. Let's act in a smart and responsible way!
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