A/HRC/4/6 page 11 wage board is a positive development. The payment of salaries for government employees is now being made on a more regular basis than before and in fact the paymaster is now travelling out to the counties to make payments to local staff. 27. However, the general situation is one of concern as there is 80 per cent unemployment and non-payment of salaries in the private sector continues to be a problem. The Ministry of Labour plans to create 12,000 additional jobs by March 2007, primarily in the agricultural sector, and there is a great need to concentrate on labour intensive industries. B. The rights to physical and mental health 28. The existence of many illegal and privately run orphanages is a major concern. The system to date has lent itself to exploitation of children and families. The publication of draft minimum standards for operating orphanages in Liberia by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, after a consultative process involving the Child Protection Network Task Force, is a major step forward and the speedy adoption of these guidelines is now urgently required. The Ministry, in coordination with the Child Protection Network, has established a list of over 60 orphanages for closure and arrangements are being put in place for the placement of those children whose parents cannot be traced and in whose case reunification is not possible. The Minister for Social Welfare reported that any closures have to be carefully coordinated with the Ministry of Justice, as past attempts had failed, following legal challenges. The matter has become very politicized and the legislature has frequently called on her office for explanations in relation to specific closures. However, the Minister assured us that as soon as the documentation was finalized further closures would commence. A visit to one such unaccredited orphanage, which housed 61 children in totally inadequate and substandard conditions, was described to the Minister. 29. In relation to the general health system, it is reported that there has been no progress on maternal and infant mortality since the last report. The rate of tuberculosis is in fact on the increase and this development may well be related to the incidence of HIV/AIDS. The Ministry reports that education on HIV has in fact been sporadic to date and recent acceptance of the proposal for funding under the Global Fund was warmly welcomed. C. The right to education 30. The Government has attempted to introduce free primary education this school term. Principals may no longer levy school fees but a campaign to sensitize parents to the new system is needed. The Ministry of Education has supplied stationery but some concern was raised that the funds for school materials and maintenance are not being fully replaced by the State. Considerable financial assistance to the State is required in this area. It was decided not to require primary education to be compulsory at this stage as neither the necessary infrastructure nor an adequate number of facilities are in place. 31. A national policy on the education of the girl child, which acknowledges the need to establish sustainable measures to address gender inequality in the education sector, was first published in 2005. The Ministry of Education recognized the need to establish proactive