The Aga Khan Approach
The Aga Khan Schools strive to create a harmonious
balance between academic demands, sporting and
cultural activities and community life. It challenges
its pupils to be intellectually inquisitive
and socially conscious. The School believes
that while what students know is important,
the true measure of a student's education is
the ability to analyse what they do not know.
Developing critical thinking and analysis is
therefore at the core of the School's mission.
The School also encourages students to respect
and appreciate other people's cultures, social
structures, values and beliefs. Taken together,
these objectives are designed to help equip
children with the tools they will need to make
their way in school, society and an increasingly
interdependent world. The core principles that
guide the Aga Khan Education Services in this
pursuit are:
- the continuing pursuit of excellence in
educational practice and management in diverse
and challenging settings;
- child-centred teaching methods;
- a special emphasis on female education;
and
- school-based teacher training.
School History
The Aga Khan School, Osh, in the Kyrgyz Republic,
was established in September 2002. Construction
of this purpose-built facility began in 2000,
in the year that commemorated Osh City's 3000th
year anniversary.
On October 30, 2002, the Governor of Osh Oblast,
Naken Kasiev, inaugurated the school in the
presence of His Highness the Aga Khan.
The School is part of the Aga Khan Education
Services (AKES). It has a long tradition of
leadership in educational development. The foundations
of the present system were laid by Sir Sultan
Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, under whose guidance
over 200 schools were established during the
first half of the 20th century, the first of
them in 1905 in Zanzibar, Gwadur in Pakistan
and Mundra in India. Since the creation of Aga
Khan Education Service companies in the 1970s,
the schools have been centrally administered
and managed.
AKES currently operates more than 300 schools
and advanced educational programmes that provide
quality pre-school, primary, secondary and higher
secondary education services to more than 54,000
students in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Kenya,
Kyrgyz Republic, Uganda, Tanzania and Tajikistan.
Schools are also envisaged, or under development,
in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Syria.
Objectives
The school's objectives are:
- to prepare graduates for access to universities
in the Kyrgyz Republic, in the Commonwealth
of Independent States and elsewhere in the
world;
- to prepare students for the challenges of
a global economy and the information age;
- to become a centre of excellence that shares
its successes and failures with the community.
Mission Statement
"The best way to manage change, whether
positive or negative, is to anticipate it and
prepare for it. On the basis of my experience
with development as an observer and a practitioner
- which now spans more than forty years - I
have come to the conclusion that there is no
greater form of preparation for change than
education. I also think that there is no better
investment that the individual, parents and
the nation can make than an investment in education
of the highest possible quality."
-- Speech by His Highness the
Aga Khan at the Opening Ceremony
of the Aga Khan School, Osh, Kyrgyz Republic,
30th October 2002
School Population
In the academic year 2004-2005, approximately
410 students enrolled in the co-educational
school. This number will increase to 600
students in Grades 5-11 by the year 2005
- 2006.
Parent-Teacher Activities
The School's parent-teacher meetings, held six
times annually, are attended by up to 80 percent
of parents. Parents have shown a keen interest
in all School matters, especially student events,
activities, improving course standards, services
and resources. Teachers are present to discuss
any issues. Part of the School's approach is
to have parents visit classes, comment and offer
their observations. These observations are then
shared openly during staff meetings.
