Spotlights: Educating Future Leaders

Students at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa receive a broad education, including a rigorous programme of study in the sciences.
Photo:AKTC/Gary OtteIf education is considered one of the core components of lasting development, it follows that the quality of that education would be a major determinant of success. For this reason, the international network of Aga Khan Academies now being built in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East offers girls and boys from all backgrounds an international standard of education from pre-primary to upper secondary levels with a rigorous academic and leadership experience.

“Our Academies programme is rooted in the conviction that effective indigenous leadership will be the key to progress in the developing world... As the pace of change accelerates, it is clear that the human mind and heart will be the central factors in determining social wealth.”
From the "Peterson Lecture" delivered by His Highness the Aga Khan to the Annual meeting of the International Baccalaureate, marking its 40th Anniversary (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) 18 April 2008At the same time, each Academy is committed to the professional growth of teachers and school leaders – not only at the Academy, but also in neighbouring government, private and not-for-profi t schools. The objective of this programme is to set a high standard of instruction at the Academy while also deepening the pool of well-trained teachers and school leaders regionally. By doing so, it aspires to enhance the quality of education in the region, raise the status of teachers and improve the conditions for more and more talented people to be drawn to the profession.

In the Mombasa region, home to the first Aga Khan Academy, a number of other activities are also part of the multi-input model. Two other Aga Khan schools offer primary and secondary education in the area. The Aga Khan Foundation’s Madrasa Programme brings early childhood education to marginalised communities in the area (as well as in Tanzania and Uganda). Mombasa will also benefi t from the creation of an Aga Khan University Faculty of Health Sciences in Nairobi and a new campus in Arusha, Tanzania for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The city also is home to the 96-bed acute-care Aga Khan Hospital. The Tsavo Power plant, constructed by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), provides electricity for the region. The Serena Beach Hotel, an AKFED hotel, is an integral part of the tourism infrastructure that encompasses other AKFED hotels in nearby game parks.

ALSO SEE:
Aga Khan Academies

Excellence in Education (2008)
Language: English
Size: 9 MB