This paper was presented at the ADEA Biennial meeting in Tanzania 2001. It is centred around the assumption that there is a consensus among the ministries of education on the importance of proper monitoring and management of programmes in education to deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS. Furthermore there is the assumption that these ministiries have acumulated a wealth of experience, analysis and information that can be used to guide innovative, cost effetive and vigorous approaches within the education sector to confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is from this base and the many country examples that this paper s drawn.