In
2000, His Highness the Aga Khan initiated a programme
for the establishment of an integrated network of
schools, called Aga Khan Academies, dedicated to expanding
access to education of an international standard of
excellence. The Academies, which will educate young
men and women from pre-primary through higher secondary
education, are planned for key locations in Africa
and Asia. The first such school, the Aga Khan Academy
in Mombasa, began operating in August of 2003.
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To
view the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, brochure,
please click
on the image above. (PDF, 5 m) |
Aga Khan to build Uganda’s first Aga Khan Academy (Press Release, Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan, Speech by H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Photographs, Welcome Address by Salim Bhatia and Video), 22 August 2007
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Builds Residential Campus to Welcome Students from Across Kenya (Press Release, Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan, Speech by Salim Bhatia, Photographs and Video), 14 August 2007
The
Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad: Foundation-Stone Laying
Ceremony,
22 September 2006
Brochure
on The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, PDF, 5m)
Foundation
Stone Laying for the Aga Khan Academy, Dar es Salaam
(press release) 17 March 2005
Foundation
Stone Laying for the Aga Khan Academy, Maputo, Mozambique,
25 June 2004
Inauguration
of The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, Kenya, 20 December
2003
Introduction
The
conviction that home-grown intellectual leadership
of exceptional calibre is the best driver of society’s
future development, and that many developing-country
education systems are too engulfed by poverty and
numbers to develop their talented young people, has
led His Highness the Aga Khan to found a network of
catalytic centres of educational excellence around
the world, known as the Aga Khan Academies.
The
Aga Khan Academies are founded on the underlying premise
that what students know is no longer the most important
measure of an education; the true test is the ability
of students and graduates to engage with what they
do not know and to find solutions. The premise holds
that a school must not only prepare a graduate for
his or her first job, but for a life of inquiry and
learning in a world that will change rapidly and continuously.
Whereas rote learning may prepare students for jobs
that currently exist, an Aga Khan Academy education
goes further to prepare young men and women to grasp
opportunities in the future.
Located
in countries in Africa, South and Central Asia, and
the Middle East, the Aga Khan Academies are an integrated
network of residential schools offering girls and
boys an international standard of education from pre-primary
to secondary levels with a rigorous academic and leadership-development
experience.
The Currciulum: Rigorous
Academics and Leadership Development
The
Aga Khan Academies’ education is built on the
framework of the internationally recognised International
Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) programmes. The IB
is highly respected for the emphasis it places on
critical thinking, active learning, and creative problem
solving. It is also renowned for preparing students
for admission to the best universities in their own
countries and abroad.
Enhanced
by academic, co-curricular, and international travel
and study experiences unique to the network of Aga
Khan Academies, this educational programme will play
an important part in fulfilling His Highness the Aga
Khan’s vision that these schools will stimulate
creativity and intellectual curiosity so that students
can adapt and thrive in a world of rapid change, make
informed judgements on life’s daily challenges,
and place those judgements in an
ethical framework.
The
academic and extracurricular programme is intended
to foster that ethical and public-minded approach.
It is designed to enhance the students’ academic
excellence, their sense of civic responsibility, their
understanding of global issues, and their analytical
and study skills. The programme reflects an understanding
of, and great sensitivity to, local languages, history,
cultures, and environment.
Aga Khan Academy students will be expected to master
at least two languages, including English, to enable
them to pursue opportunities in an increasingly interdependent
world. Likewise, a programme of computer literacy
provides students at all levels with a solid foundation
to enable them to take full advantage of information
technology.
All
Aga Khan Academy students and faculty are members
of a far-reaching global network and will travel internationally
to spend time at one of the other Aga Khan Academies
in order to broaden their outlook and experience.
In addition to student and faculty travel, the network
enables the free and open sharing of best practices
and of each institution’s comparative strengths
and expertise, be they academic, administrative, or
technological.
Selection on academic and
personal promise, not ability to pay
The
Aga Khan Academy selects students of promise, good
character and serious intent, regardless of a family’s
ability to pay. The Academy selects a diverse student
body as part of its mission to educate future leaders
with a pluralistic sensibility.
Professional Development
of Teachers: Faculty committed to students and their
own professional growth
The
Aga Khan Academies identify and develop teachers of
the highest quality who are committed both to the
all-round development of young people and to their
own professional growth as excellent teachers. The
faculty are enriched by opportunities to collaborate
with colleagues across the globe and to teach abroad
within the Aga Khan Academies network.
An
integral part of the Aga Khan Academy’s mission
is to strengthen the profession of teaching by investing
substantially in the professional development of teachers.
A Professional Development Centre will be a key aspect
of each Aga Khan Academy and will provide ongoing,
collaborative training of Aga Khan Academy faculty
as well as teachers from neighbouring government,
private and not-for-profit schools. Promoting excellence
in teaching, both on campus and in the broader region,
is a fundamental goal of the Aga Khan Academy.
International Linkages: Connections
to leading institutions across the globe
The
resources and linkages of the Aga Khan Development
Network play an important part in the realisation
and impact the Academies, its teachers, and its graduates
will make. Students and faculty benefit from the intellectual
and programmatic resources of AKDN’s well established
institutions, such as the
Aga Khan Foundation, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture,
the Aga Khan University, and the University of
Central Asia.
The
Aga Khan Academies draw upon long-standing partnerships
with other universities including Harvard, Oxford,
and Toronto, as well as renowned secondary schools
such as Phillips Academy, Andover, in the USA and
Schule Schloss Salem in Germany to achieve its standard
of excellence. Being connected to this global network
of institutions enables Aga Khan Academy students
and faculty to test and validate their standards of
excellence as world-class.
The Residential Campus
The
standard of excellence of the Aga Khan Academies will
be reflected in the architecture and landscape of
the campuses, each of which will be designed by renowned
architects. The Aga Khan Academies will have well-equipped
laboratories for physics, biology, chemistry; state-of-the-art
computing and classroom technology; fully equipped
art and music rooms; a well-resourced library; a religion
and culture room; a design and technology workshop;
student and teacher lounges; a theatre and multipurpose
hall; and a dining hall. Excellence is the standard:
an excellent environment enabling talented individuals
to thrive intellectually and personally.
Athletic
facilities will include a swimming pool, basketball
and badminton courts, and fields for cricket, football,
hockey, and athletics. Aga Khan Academy students will
participate in regular competitive sporting activities
and other outdoor pursuits that will help them stay
fit while developing a strong sense of teamwork and
a commitment to doing one’s best in all areas.
The
Aga Khan Academy Senior School exists to educate talented
students from near and far, and the majority of Senior
School students will reside on the campus. Separate
student residences will be provided for boys and girls,
and all will be closely supervised by faculty and
staff. The residential experience will complement
the academic experience and include a rich array of
activities and leadership opportunities to enhance
students’ learning and growth.
The Graduate: Creating fearless
learners and ethical leaders
Time
and again, His Highness the Aga Khan has underlined
the importance of three concepts he sees as essential
to creating, stabilising and strengthening democracies
around the world: meritocracy, pluralism, and civil
society. These are all values the network of Academies
strives to instil in its students – values they
will embody and carry with them throughout their lives.
In
the Aga Khan Academy network of schools, every aspect
of the environment – from its faculty and curriculum
to its facilities and community service programmes
– will reinforce these values. Students will
benefit from the experience of a pluralistic learning
community, enabling them to become true citizens of
the world – citizens who are knowledgeable about
and open to other cultures and traditions. The Aga
Khan Academies aim to create fearless learners and
ethical leaders who will go on to the best universities
anywhere in the world, pursue careers of their choice,
and build and lead the institutions of civil society
in their countries and across the globe.
The
Academy’s students are expected to become:
- Inquirers
who are curious, independent learners;
- Knowledgeable
across a range of disciplines and traditions;
- Thinkers
who are critical and creative, who fearlessly approach
complex problems and make ethical decisions;
- Communicators
who express ideas confidently and creatively, orally
and in writing, in at least two languages, and through
art and music;
- Principled
young people with a strong sense of integrity, honesty,
fairness and justice, who respect the dignity of
individuals, groups and communities, and who take
responsibility for their own actions and their consequences;
- Caring
people who are empathetic and compassionate and
respect others’ needs and feelings while also
being personally committed to making a positive
difference in the lives of others and the environment;
- Stewards
who are motivated to leave their world a better
place;
- Open-minded
learners who understand and appreciate their own
personal histories and cultures while, at the same
time, they recognise and value plurality, and actively
seek a range of perspectives;
- Balanced
young men and women who understand the importance
of maintaining personal well-being and physical,
intellectual, and emotional balance for themselves
and others;
- Thoughtful
individuals who care about their own learning and
personal development and are able to analyse their
own strengths and weaknesses; and
- Young
men and women capable of becoming global leaders,
who perceive and anticipate needs and problems locally
and globally and who are able to motivate themselves
and others to tackle those problems, confidently
and in a spirit of cooperation.
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