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Introduction
to the Academies | Resources & Publications | The
Aga Khan's Vision |
His Highness the Aga Khan's Vision
"We live in a time of rapid change - change that is often unpredictable
and not always positive. My experience with development, as an observer and a
practitioner, has led me to the conclusion that the best way to manage change,
whether positive or negative, is to prepare for it and that there is no greater
form of preparation for change than investments in education.
These investments must focus, of course, on teachers of the highest quality
- teachers who are creative and committed to their own life-long learning
and self-improvement. It also means investments in facilities that provide
an environment conducive to the less tangible but equally important elements
of an education - self-esteem, leadership, tolerance, ethical judgment and
moral reasoning.
However, as educators and parents have begun to make these investments, they
are revisiting the age-old question: What does it mean to be an educated
person? Many have come to realise that education must prepare students not
only for the job market, but also for life. From Zanzibar’s madrassas
to Britain’s public schools, from American university preparatory academies
to government schools in Pakistan, there is a realisation that education
must equip students with more than a narrowly focused curriculum based on
reading, writing and mathematics. It must expose students to a broad and
meaningful study of the humanities, including science, music and art. The
teaching of history and world civilisations must be more broadly representative
of the world’s entire heritage than it has in the past. This is especially
true in regard to Islamic civilisations, which have been misrepresented or
ignored despite their vital contributions in a wide range of spheres, from
science to architecture.
Education must include mastery of more than one language and an ability to
communicate effectively in those languages. In the face of the most rapid
advances in technology in history, education also must teach students how
to master information technologies. These skills now form a critical part
of the learning process, as well as essential qualifications for application
in the workplace, but even these elements are not enough.
An education must equip students with the tools that enable them to adapt
and thrive, in a world characterised by change. In such an environment, technical
proficiency is not enough. Education that prepares children for life must
go beyond fundamental skills to stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity
and honest inquiry. Advancement and development, both personal and societal,
are dependant on these elements. Innovation and progress arise from the ability
to approach a challenge in a new way and offer a solution.
Education must also make the case for a pluralistic tradition in which other
views, ethnicities, religions and perspectives are valued not only because
that is just and good, but also because pluralism is the climate best suited
for creativity, curiosity and inquiry to thrive. It must also stimulate students
to consider a variety of perspectives on some of the fundamental questions
posed by the human condition: “What is truth?” “What is
reality?” and “What are my duties to my fellow man, to my country
and to God?” At the same time, education must reinforce the
foundations of identity in such a way as to reinvigorate and strengthen them
so that they can withstand the shock of change.
What students know is therefore 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 work out a solution. They must also be
able to reach conclusions that constitute the basis for informed judgements.
The ability to make judgements that are grounded in solid information and
employ careful analysis, should be one of the most important goals for any
educational endeavour. As students develop this capability, they can begin
to grapple with the most important and difficult step: to learn to place
such judgements in an
ethical framework.
For all these reasons, there is no better investment that individuals, parents
and the nation can make than an investment in education of the highest possible
quality. Such investments are reflected and endure, in the formation of the
kind of social conscience that our world so desperately needs."
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