CRC/C/15/Add.120 page 7 prevent disabilities, implement alternative measures to the institutionalization of children with disabilities, envisage awareness-raising campaigns aiming at the elimination of discrimination against them, establish special education programmes and centres and encourage their inclusion in the educational system and in society, and establish adequate monitoring of private institutions for children with disabilities. The Committee further recommends to the State party to seek technical cooperation from WHO and specialized non-governmental organizations for the training of professional staff working with and for children with disabilities. Right to health and access to health services (art. 24) 24. While acknowledging the measures taken to improve the health of children, in particular initiatives related to the reduction of infant mortality, the Committee remains concerned about the persistence of regional disparities in access to health care, and of high rates of malnutrition of children, especially in rural and remote areas and in particular among children belonging to indigenous groups. The Committee is also concerned about the high maternal mortality and teenage pregnancy rates as well as about the insufficient access by teenagers to reproductive health education and counselling services. The increasing rates of substance abuse and of HIV/AIDS among children and adolescents and the constant discrimination they are exposed to are also matters of concern. The Committee recommends that the State party continue taking effective measures to ensure access to basic health care and services for all children. More concerted efforts need to be taken to guarantee equal access to health care and to combat malnutrition, with special emphasis on children belonging to indigenous groups and children living in rural and remote areas. The Committee recommends to the State party to continue with its efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS and to take into consideration the Committee’s recommendations adopted on its day of general discussion on children living in a world with HIV/AIDS (see CRC/C/80, chap. III, sect. C). The Committee also recommends that further efforts be undertaken for the development of child-friendly counselling services as well as care and rehabilitation facilities for adolescents. In this regard, the Committee encourages the State party to continue working in this field in cooperation with, inter alia, WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS. 7. Education, leisure and cultural activities 25. While the Committee notes with appreciation the State party’s achievements in the field of education, it remains concerned about the high drop-out and repetition rates in primary and secondary school, and about the disparities in the access to education between rural and urban areas. The Committee is particularly concerned about the limited access to education for children belonging to indigenous groups and the low relevance of the current bilingual educational programmes available for them. In light of articles 28, 29 and other related articles of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party continue with its efforts to strengthen its educational policies and system in order to improve ongoing retention programmes and vocational training for drop-outs; to extend school coverage and to improve school quality, making schools more responsive to geographical and cultural diversity; and to improve the relevance of bilingual education programmes for children belonging to indigenous groups. The Committee encourages the State party to consider seeking technical assistance in this area, inter alia from UNICEF and UNESCO.