|
/ No. 1 - October 2009 / |
 |
|
Dear Friends of the Aga Khan Academies:
It is my immense pleasure to share with you the first edition of the Aga Khan Academies Newsletter. Many of you have indicated in the past, that you would like to be kept informed on the happenings in the network. In addition to our web sites, we hope that this newsletter will be a quick and efficient way for you to stay abreast of the happenings at the Academies as well as broader, relevant trends in education.
The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, is now a full-fledged “test bed” for the Academies programme, and the launch of the residential campus, along with the increased research and time put into talent identification, have helped make this vision become a reality. Unique elements of the Aga Khan Academies education, such as the Aga Khan curricula strands, are continuously being developed, tested and refined. We now have an academic presence in Hyderabad and Maputo where we are focusing on developing the local staff base and curriculum for the new Academy. Additionally, the team will begin contributing more widely to education in India and Mozambique through carefully selected activities that will increase in magnitude and impact as the capacity within the Academy increases. We are proud of our students and faculty who continuously raise the bar with their dedication, hard-work and determination. In June of this year, we celebrated the graduation of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa’s third cohort of IB Diploma students. Much more work is underway from processes to identifying talented young people to campus design and planning. We plan to bring these developments to you through future newsletters.
We hope that you will enjoy this first Aga Khan Academies newsletter and share your thoughts and ideas with us for future editions.
Very truly yours,
Salim A.L. Bhatia
Director of Academies |
ARTICLES
Developing Future Leaders—The Curricular Implications
“...The Academies curriculum seeks to instill a habit of intellectual humility which constantly opens young minds to what it is that they do not know, and which sends them on a wide and rigorous search for new knowledge...Our curriculum also places a strong emphasis on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of life, as well as a more complex understanding of how global economics work, a focus on comparative political systems, and a broad exposure to a variety of world cultures, including the Study of Muslim Civilizations”. His Highness the Aga Khan, Mombasa, August 2007
At the Academy in Mombasa, as in all future Academies, five specific areas of focus are being woven into the curriculum in order to help achieve the mission to educate future leaders with the capacity to build strong civil democratic societies. These areas, designated as ‘AK curricular strands,’ are pluralism, ethics, governance and civil society, economics in a global context and cultures—including Muslim civilisations.
The curriculum development process has been a collaborative effort between Mombasa Academy teachers, Academies Unit staff, experienced educators in a range of cultural contexts, and external disciplinary experts. The pilot implementation of the AK strands is now monitored and supported by ‘AK Curriculum Advisory Committee’ including curriculum experts from other AKDN agencies and other institutions as well as Academies staff.
 Learn more
Demonstrating Respect for the Profession of Teaching
The Residential Campus at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, welcomed the first cohort of residential students in April 2009. Living away from home for the first time can be a difficult adjustment period for students. This pioneering group of students have adapted readily to life at the Academy. The Dorm Parents––a carefully chosen group of teachers––ensure a safe, nurturing and fun-filled environment for student residents. Trained in critical skills such as health and safety, community life, and interpersonal relations, the Dorm Parents possess a high level of energy to handle multiple tasks while offering guidance and support to their student charges.
The student residences have been carefully designed and constructed to support the educational mission of the residential programme. Both teachers and students have expressed that the quality of the new buildings and spaces reflects true respect for them and their important work. “The dorms are beyond what we initially visualized based on the architectural renderings,” said Serem Kipkemoi, a Dorm Parent. “It’s breathtaking, it’s meticulous, it’s real; it’s an honour to be involved in the residential component of the Academy.”
In July, His Highness the Aga Khan visited the Academy to review the development of the new residential campus. After a tour of the facilities, His Highness met with Dorm Parents and residential students to discuss their experiences to date, and the new residents expressed enthusiasm for the experience. A number of teachers subsequently expressed that they felt truly respected to be asked their opinions directly by His Highness the Aga Khan.
Learn more
|
SPOTLIGHT ON ALUMNI
Elias Okwara: Ethical Leadership, A Cornerstone of Progress
Elias Okwara graduated from the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa in 2008 and went on to pursue a degree from Drexel University in International Area Studies. Okwara who was born in Kenya, values the principle of “ethical leadership” taught to him as part of the Academy curriculum and stressed by Peter McMurray, Head of the Academy and actively pursues and practices those ideals in life. Elias attributes his current success to the time he spent at the Aga Khan Academy. “The exposure to pluralistic ideals I received at the Academy helps me in engaging with individuals who have different perspectives on things, “ he says.
Read more |
SPOTLIGHT ON STUDENT
Nafisa Abdul Hamid: Changing the World
Nafisa, a student of year 11 with a ready smile, feels that being at the Academy has shaped her destiny and guided her way in life. “The Academy has taught me to be open minded,” says Nafisa. “It’s not just about knowing what is in the textbook but using that knowledge in your life." Nafisa who was also born in Kenya, feels that the teachers at the Academy go an extra mile for the students. "They use culture and values to teach us," she says,
"involving our passion for issues and linking it to what we are doing in the classroom." Nafisa’s positive attitude provides her the drive to excel at the Academy. "Thanks to the school and what it has done for me, I feel that my experience at the Academy is preparing me to change the world for the better."
Read more |
NEWS AND EVENTS
Preparing Education Leaders for Tomorrow: Workshops for Stakeholders
In order to gain an understanding of the various constraints faced by educational leadership in Mozambique, two one-day stakeholder workshops were held in July at the Institute for Teacher Training in Matola District. These were attended by education officers as well as heads and principals of all primary schools in the district. This was in preparation for offering a course in educational leadership in conjunction with the Aga Khan University, Institute of Education (Dar) as part of AKA, Maputo’s outreach programme contributing to the professional development of educators in the Mozambican government systems.
Learn more
IB Authorisation for All Programmes at AKA, Mombasa
In May of 2009, the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa became the first school in Kenya to be authorised to offer the Middle Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate Organisation thus making It the only school in Kenya to offer the full IB programme (Primary, Middle Year and Diploma). There are currently 708 schools in the world and only a handful on the African continent authorised for this programme.
Learn more |
| appointments |
Mr. Lee Davis
Mr. Lee Davis started as Director of Academic Planning and Development for AKA, Maputo on June 15th. He was formerly at the International Baccalaureate Organisation in Cardiff (UK) leading the Online Learning programme and, prior to that, Director of Studies at St George’s College, Argentina. He has extensive school leadership experience in an international context and is passionate about embedding ICTs in teaching and learning. On this topic, he has worked closely with the Asia-Pacific Programme on ICT in Education of UNESCO. |
| |
Dr. Yasmin Lodi
Dr. Yasmin Lodi started as Director of Academic Planning and Development for AKA, Hyderabad on August 1st. She was formerly at the University of Central Asia (UCA) leading the Humanities programme in Central Asia. Her area of specialisation lies in the field of political philosophy, particularly focusing on diverse modern political philosophers. After her doctoral work, she focused on faculty development and curricular reform at universities in Post-Soviet countries such as Romania, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
She is joined in Hyderabad by Mr. Satyadeep Srivastava. Formerly with the United World College, Mahindre, in Pune and other top residential schools in India, he will be working particularly in the area of curriculum planning. |
|
|
|
|
|
