One major lesson learned in countries neighbouring Mozambique is that those children who are not sexually active must learn the lessons of abstinence, protection and prevention.

These are the 6- to15-year -olds, who are known as "the window of hope" in combating the disease (in Mozambique the average child becomes sexually active at 16 years of age, but many start earlier).

Presently, in the government strategy for combating HIV/AIDS, education's contribution is targeting secondary school students, though it does state that those at the primary level will be "included". The logical explanation is that this is the level where, in theory, sexually active children are to be found. But, as mentioned in Chapter 3, 96% of the school population is concentrated in EP1 and EP2, and secondary education as a whole accounts for just 3% of the school population. This raises some problems and suggests that per haps the exclusive emphasis of the campaign on secondary education, despite its logic, may not be the most appropriate approach to fighting the epidemic. The Ministry of Education and its partners need urgently to work out a response to protect this "window of hope".

The second major lesson learned from elsewhere in the region is that HIV, despite its rapid spread, can certainly be prevented, and that the five out of six sexually active Mozambicans who are not infected can still avoid infection. This implies that the vast majority of Ministry of Education personnel are not infected, and therefore timely interventions to protect them, through knowledge, understanding and empowerment, can assist in protecting the sector from the devastation of HIV/AIDS.

A third lesson learned from elsewhere in the region is that those who are already H I V -positive can live a long and fruitful life. This holds for infected education personnel as much as for anyone else, but only if they understand their condition, protect their partners, know what their rights are, help to improve public understanding of HIV/AIDS, and increase compassion towards those who are HIV-positive.

A final lesson, learned from Tanzania and Uganda, is that the introduction of m o r e flexible school calendars, adjusted to meet peak family farm labour demand, can assist in keeping children in school in the face of the epidemic.

In short, education can both play a preponderant role in protecting the window of help, and can itself become a great gateway of hope, both for the protection of its own staff and for the survival of society at large.

By its very nature, education is one of the few sectors which can influence changes in attitude towards the epidemic in an efficient and effective manner . We must recognise that, faced with the threat of HIV/AIDS, human development in Mozambique depends to a large extent on the will and determination of professional educators in taking the leadership in the struggle against the epidemic. But society cannot wriggle out of its responsibilities since, in the final analysis, the struggle against the epidemic, is essentially a struggle for life, and nobody can set themselves apart from this responsibility.