Student Council 2018-19
Celebration of Learning with Grades 1-4
Celebrating friendship and the tradition of Marrabenta
Maike Silver: Cultivating Young Minds to Truly Make a Difference
Ask Maike Silver, Junior School Principal at the Aga Khan Academy in Maputo, Mozambique, what attracted her to teach at the Academy.
“The vision and mission of the Academy,” she states simply. “The vision to inspire young people into becoming future leaders of their countries. To actually have the ethical persuasion to make a difference in the lives of their countrymen.”
Originally from Germany, Maike says it was her father’s voluntary work in her hometown that swayed her into the teaching profession. “I was 12 years old when I started helping my dad coach young swimmers at our local hometown club. Ever since then, I have wanted to work with children and young people.”
Starting her teaching career at a German-American International School in California as an Early Years Specialist, Maike worked for 17 years, before embarking on her international educator journey, first to Cebu, Philippines, and then onto Maputo, Mozambique. She started working at AKA Maputo in 2018.
While she applauds the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework the Academy uses to guide teaching and learning, Maike also values the Aga Khan Curricular Strands of ethics, pluralism, economics for development, cultures, governance, and civil society. These play an important role in her instruction.
“It is these added leadership and stewardship attributes that empower students to care for their communities and that also provide a concentrated focus on local issues,” she states with conviction.
One of Maike’s main goals is to create an environment in which learning can be a positive and transformative experience and make a meaningful impact on students. Aware that young people flourish academically and emotionally in a constructive environment, Maike goes to great lengths to demand discipline for behaviours that maintain reverence and a sense of community and family in which every student feels valued. She feels strong peer relationships are important as are mutual trust and respect between students and between students and teachers.
“In order to be a great teacher several factors need to be in place,” Maike says with authority. “The classroom environment needs to be one of mutual respect where teachers and students connect and together create expectations for behaviour that uphold dignity, and a sense of caring for each other and a passion for learning,” she states solemnly.
In her opinion, teaching is one of the hardest and yet one of the most rewarding professions. “Being a teacher is a difficult occupation as it requires a tremendous amount of energy to keep children engaged in their learning as well as show compassion for all categories of different learners. The job entails diplomacy and resilience when dealing with the different demands from parents, students and administrators.”
Aware of the importance of being prepared before teaching a class, Maike states emphatically that a teacher needs to plan activities and strategies with a strong sense of commitment in order to inspire students.
“The teacher needs to plan engaging activities that have a clear sense of purpose and where the outcome can be assessed. At the same time, the teacher needs to be responsive to the needs of students and must be flexible in their planning. This requires a teacher to be open-minded and reflective,” she notes.
If Maike carries a sense of manifest destiny for her students, she credits the Academy’s IB curriculum of a holistic education. Saying it is critical for educators to train students to think critically and creatively, and to be able to transfer their knowledge to real-life situations, she quotes Ernest LeRoy Boyer, who was a distinguished American educator, who once said “To be truly educated, a student must …make connections across the disciplines, discover ways to integrate subjects and ultimately relate what they learn to life."
Maike has savored every moment of being part of the AKA Maputo family. “I feel it is a tremendous honour and responsibility to be part of creating sustainable systems for a newly-developing Academy. I hope to leave behind a legacy of having been a kind, compassionate and effective leader who played an essential part in providing our young leaders of the future with the highest quality of education that prepares them to enact positive change in the world they inhabit.”
Written by Perviz Walji
World Book Day
will be celebrated in PYP classes. Details to follow.
Coming soon!
Early Years - Open House in March at the AKA Maputo.
Grade 10 students celebrate completion of Middle Years Programme
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 20 years of excellence
Aga Khan Academy Mombasa celebrates 20 years of excellence
Fee Schedule
Fee schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Click here to download the Academy's fee schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year.
1. One-time, non-refundable admission fee of USD 2,000 is payable for each student enrolling for the first time.
2. One-time, refundable security deposit of USD 1,500 is payable upon acceptance of admission. It is refundable when the student leaves the school as long as the required notice has been given in writing and “No Dues” clearance has been obtained from the school. No interest is paid or payable on this deposit.
3. A sibling discount of 5% of tuition fees will be applicable for second and subsequent children.
4. Tuition fees may be paid for a full year with an early-payment discount of 5%, if paid before 15 July.
5. Tuition fees may be paid in four equal instalments – first, no later than 15 July, second by 30 September, third by 30 November and forth by 28 February of each academic year.
6. A penalty of USD 50 shall be applied on the 1st of every month on any delayed payments made without agreement with the Finance Department. Unexplained delays shall make the students liable to suspension.
7. Tuition fees must be paid within 30 days of admission to secure a place at the Academy.
8. Tuition fees include course fees, the use of essential course books, library books, IT structure, science laboratory equipment, online education and certain classroom supplies.
9. Tuition fees do not include uniform costs.
10. Exam fees for the IB Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme will be billed separately based on the actual fee issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).
11. Residential fees (USD $6400+$1650) include accommodation, food, health insurance, utilities, pocket allowance, transportation for in city excursions and community support visits.
12. The fees can be paid in US dollars or Mozambican metical. For payments in meticals, the invoice rate will be used. The Academy however reserves the right to change this policy.
13. Parents must provide the Finance Department (finance.maputo@agakhanacademies.org) with the proof of payment made through direct deposit or bank transfer, even if the payment is done by an organisation or a company.
14. If a student wishes to leave the school, one term’s advance notice of withdrawal must be given in writing or, in lieu of notice, one term of the annual fees will be due and payable. School clearance will not be possible until the fee account is settled in full.
15. The Academy reserves the right to withhold results, school leaving certificate, transcripts or any other information and/or document until all outstanding dues are settled in full.
16. Students who have been admitted to the Academy, and can demonstrate need, will be considered for financial aid.
17. The above terms and conditions may be modified, or new terms may apply to reflect changes in the law or our services.
18. For further information, please contact us via email at admissions.maputo@agakhanacademies.org.
