This paper, written for policy makers, considers the role education has to play in both preventing and mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS. The strategy outlined in the document identifies key priorities for a scaled up response to the epidemic on the part of schools and the education system more generally. The report focuses on formal educational institutions as important in the delivery of prevention and mitigation measures, but also recognises that many of the young people affected by the epidemic are not attending school and that the epidemic has an impact on schools' ability to deliver effective education.