At the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Ham Serunjogi – CEO and co-founder of African fintech giant Chipper Cash – realised the importance of staying connected to something larger than himself. The Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree is now serving as an advisor to the US President on African diaspora engagement.
Early Years Celebration of Learning
The Early Years programme students will have a Celebration of Learning on Friday, 3 June at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo. KG1 and 2 students will have their ceremony from 11 am-12 pm and KG3 students will have theirs from 1.30-2.30 pm. Additional information will be shared with parents of Early Years students.
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Aga Khan Curricular Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands (AK Strands) are a unique part of the programme offered by the Aga Khan Academies. The AK Strands are areas of learning aimed specifically at developing knowledge, skills and attitudes required by future leaders.
Our goal at the Academies is to develop young people who have strong local roots and are also globally minded. They should be able to become leaders in whichever fields they choose.
To help achieve this goal, we have identified five areas of learning, the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, that we believe are important for our students. These are:
- Ethics
- Pluralism
- Cultures (with an emphasis on Muslim civilisations)
- Governance and Civil Society
- Economics for Development.
Implementing the AK Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands are not taught as independent subjects. Instead, we weave them into the existing subject areas of the academic curriculum. They help inform the selection of content and themes for study. The AK Strands also provide direction for school life outside the classroom in areas such as policy making, recruitment, student life and residential life.
Two of the AK Strands, Ethics and Pluralism, help students develop values and dispositions required by ethical leaders. Our students learn about these areas in theory and are also encouraged to practice what they learn in their everyday lives.
Through the other three AK Strands, our students learn about ideas that are important to the functioning of societies. In particular, they learn about how these ideas impact people’s lives in countries of the developing world. The knowledge they gain helps them understand key issues from both local and international perspectives.
The AK Strands in practice
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands were developed at the first Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and are designed to be used in different cultural contexts. Teachers from the Aga Khan Academy Maputo help tailor the AK Strands for the local environment in Mozambique.
Through the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, our students develop attitudes and values that will help them throughout their lives. They also gain knowledge and understanding that will allow them to contribute positively to their societies in the future.
For more information on the educational programme offered at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo, please visit the Academic Programme page.
Aga Khan Curricular Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands (AK Strands) are a unique part of the programme offered by the Aga Khan Academies. The AK Strands are areas of learning aimed specifically at developing knowledge, skills and attitudes required by future leaders.
Our goal at the Academies is to develop young people who have strong local roots and are also globally minded. They should be able to become leaders in whichever fields they choose.
To help achieve this goal, we have identified five areas of learning, the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, that we believe are important for our students. These are:
- Ethics
- Pluralism
- Cultures (with an emphasis on Muslim civilisations)
- Governance and Civil Society
- Economics for Development
Implementing the AK Strands
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands are not taught as independent subjects. Instead, we weave them into the existing subject areas of the academic curriculum. They help inform the selection of content and themes for study. The AK Strands also provide direction for school life outside the classroom in areas such as policy making, recruitment, student life and residential life.
Two of the AK Strands, Ethics and Pluralism, help students develop values and dispositions required by ethical leaders. Our students learn about these areas in theory and are also encouraged to practice what they learn in their everyday lives.
Through the other three AK Strands, our students learn about ideas that are important to the functioning of societies. In particular, they learn about how these ideas impact people’s lives in countries of the developing world. The knowledge they gain helps them understand key issues from both local and international perspectives.
The AK Strands in practice
The Aga Khan Curricular Strands have been developed and tested over several years at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. This has led to new ideas and creative methods of teaching.
For example, teachers in different departments are using the AK Strands to collaborate in interesting ways. In one project, year 7 students worked on a unit that related to Governance and Civil Society in both humanities and English. They linked their theoretical understanding of authority structures to their study of the novel, The Giver.
They looked at questions of governance, freedom of choice, security and related ethical questions through the lenses of both subject areas. This allowed for a unique learning experience that was both broad and deep.
Through the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, our students develop attitudes and values that will help them throughout their lives. They also gain knowledge and understanding that will allow them to contribute positively to their societies in the future.
For more information on the educational programme offered at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa please visit the Academic Programme page.
Faculty Development
Promoting excellence in teaching, both on campus and more broadly, is a fundamental goal of the Aga Khan Academies.
The effort to establish a Professional Development Centre (PDC) at each Academy is one of the outstanding features of the network. The PDC aims to strengthen the profession of teaching in the region by providing substantial professional learning opportunities and modelling highly effective educational practice.
Developing strength in teaching
The Academies aim to identify and develop teachers of the highest quality who are committed to both the all-round development of young people and to their own professional excellence. The Academy PDCs support excellence by striving to model best practices in teaching and learning within all of its classes and by providing high quality development opportunities for all Academy teachers.
Faculty members are also enriched by opportunities to work collaboratively with more experienced colleagues from around the globe and to teach abroad within the Aga Khan Academies network.
Investing in teachers
In addition to a broad programme of professional development for faculty and staff, the Academy PDCs offer substantial programmes under their Professional Learning for Educators Series (PLES) for teachers in local government, independent and not-for profit schools.
The PLES programmes are specifically designed by the Aga Khan Academies to respond to the needs of teachers, as identified through extensive market research and dialogue with government officials and education departments.
The series includes programmes for teachers in various subject areas as well as specialised programmes focussing on the skills and capabilities required for effective teaching.
Each programme builds professional competence by focussing equally on enhancing teachers’ subject knowledge and on how best to teach that subject. Each provides participants with a balance of intensive facilitated learning activities followed by an extended period of assisted application and observation within the context of their own classrooms.
To read about participants' experience of these programmes, click here.
"In this ambition, we are heartened by an important new World Bank study which indicates that it is not the quantity of time or money that leads to educational success, but rather the quality of specific educational experiences. The stimulus provided by extraordinary teachers and exceptional companions is most important."
World Read Aloud Day - Thursday 16 February 2017
Celebrating the power of words & advocating for the rights of children to access books and education. Read-aloud sessions in English, Hindi & Telugu at Junior School Library between 11am - 3:20pm. Welcome!
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Spotlights on Alumni
Below are spotlights on some of the Aga Khan Academies alumni:
13 November 2023
Although it has been a few years since he graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Alqaim Lalani, Class of 2019, says his years at the Academy had a major bearing on his academic career and strongly influenced his outlook on life. Now, as a graduate of Columbia University in New York, Alqaim is giving back to the Aga Khan Academies community that he says shaped his life and gave him so much.
05 October 2023
Jemin Patel’s journey to where he is now is the result of hard work and passion, values he picked up during his time at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. Now, he's working at one of Canada's top accounting and consulting firms, still standing by the notion, "hard work always wins."
26 September 2023
Muskaan Bhaidani is an alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa who was in the Class of 2020. Graduating with an impressive International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) score of 44 out of 45, Muskaan is now attending McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
18 October 2022
Anahita Aman, a graduate of the batch of 2020 was here at the academy for 8 years. Currently pursuing History at University College London, she hopes to build a career in International Development.
23 June 2022
Congratulations to the Class of 2022! We are so proud of you and cannot wait to see what you do next. As we welcome our new graduating class to our alumni community, we asked four distinct graduates from the Aga Khan Academies in Mombasa and Hyderabad about their journeys and aspirations.
09 December 2020
Qamili Dave, a 2017 alumna of AKA Mombasa, discovered her passion for the culinary arts during her AKDN DP1 Internship at Serena Beach Hotel. Since then, she has gone on to pursue her passion for cooking, including undertaking Harvard courses to perfect her skill. What Qamili loves most about being a chef is preparing a good satisfying meal that warms the hearts of people.
04 September 2020
Lilian Odera, a 2015 alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa and recipient of the Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow (ILOT) award, is the embodiment of a true leader and agent of change. True to form, she has a passion for actively being involved in community-based initiatives to influence change and creatively find solutions to issues in whatever way she can.
02 May 2020
Aleesha Suleman, a graduate student at UCL-Qatar, has never lost sight of what has always been important to her: giving back to her home country of Kenya.
01 March 2020
Raghuveer Vyas, director of the United Nations Initiative at New York University, is on a mission to bring change to the world through policy development and fostering a continuous dialogue between international leaders and the youth.
30 October 2019
Hussein Jiva graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa after what he feels was a transformative journey.
02 July 2019
With a determination to change her country into a land of opportunity for all, Anzhela Mirzoeva, a recent graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, will further her education at the Connecticut College in the United States by studying International Relations and Human Development.
28 June 2019
For Alqaim Lalani, his recent graduation from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa brings him one step closer to realising his dream of attaining a deeper understanding of how economics and politics affect the world around is. Alqaim will be enrolling at Columbia University in fall 2019, as a prestigious Kluge scholar.
14 June 2019
''I do not want a career in something predetermined for me from this age. When I am asked where I will be 15 years from now, I can promise you it will not be cooped up in an office doing routine work. I will probably be out there inventing something meaningful and purposeful, something which can be used to change the world.”
25 February 2019
The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is essential in enabling the Academies to develop well-rounded leaders of tomorrow. Hear from Zia Chapman, Class of 2018, and understand how this influenced her in choosing the Academy for her education. Zia is now a scholarship student at UBC in Canada.
21 February 2019
Through the inquiry-based International Baccalaureate curriculum, the Aga Khan Academies aim to develop young individuals who will have the capacity to lead and to build strong civil democratic societies in the future. Hear from one of our alumni, Moiz Rajwani, Class of 2018, and see how we have been turning this vision into reality at the Academies. Moiz was awarded a scholarship at Western University in Ontario, Canada and enrolled in September 2018.
18 February 2019
"I always wanted to work with people who spend every single day without any resources at their disposal, to work on the pressing issues that exist in India, issues that most of us never see through our rose tinted glasses."
11 February 2019
“The IB curriculum followed at the Academy has played a pivotal role in building many essential skills for university life. Its skill-based learning approach, and connecting classroom learning to the real world, also prepared me well for higher education."
08 February 2019
“The Academy helped me become comfortable with making mistakes and encouraged me to focus on identifying solutions instead – igniting an entrepreneurial spirit within me. It is this spirit which led me to take a year off, work on self-driving cars, build my own news-reading bot, experiment with developing a cloud-storage service and have the confidence to take the road less taken."
05 November 2018
This 2014 AKA Hyderabad graduate is in some ways a time capsule from the Academy’s early years, and like a time capsule, she reminds us of things that have changed, and also about the things that have remained the same. “The Academy has made me the person I am today,” she says. “I wanted to give back to school what it has given me.”
03 July 2018
Josephine Awino, alumna of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, will be attending Wellesley College for her undergraduate studies in environmental science. She shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Academy in which she developed a sense of self and fostered her passions.
11 June 2018
Muriuku Njonjo graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa with the receipt of a full scholarship to the University of Waterloo in Canada. He shares a personal reflection about his time studying at the Academy: "The Academy changed my way of thinking, my way of doing things and informed my purpose in life."
28 May 2018
Kamila Janmohamed graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa this year. Upon anticipating her upcoming start at Yale University, Kamila reflects on the intellectual growth and strong sense of self she has developed over the past four years at the Academy.
25 May 2018
I love that my classes are filled with students from all parts of the country, irrespective of their financial standing or cultural background. I strongly believe it helps build our vision of pluralism.
15 May 2018
Ariq Kapadia, alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, shares a reflection on his personal journey during his time at the Academies: "The experience that I had in those five years at the Academy continues to develop me further and make me more capable of success."
08 May 2018
Inaara Sarfani shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. She explains that her time as a student there entirely shaped the person she is today and allowed her to develop a far-reaching skillset.
30 April 2018
Joshua Abuto tells an inspiring and promising tale of what drives him to sustain his vision of making a difference in the lives of his fellow citizens in Kenya. A 2016 graduate of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Joshua is currently in his second year at the University of Texas at Arlington on a scholarship where he is studying computer science and engineering.
26 March 2018
Khushboo Shah shares a reflection on her personal journey at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad: "I believe that the Academy’s dynamic vision has allowed me to believe in my imagination, passion and curiosity while pursuing ambitious projects."
06 February 2018
Imtiyaz Hariyani credits the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad with giving him more than just the academic skills he needs to succeed at the undergraduate level. “The spirit that the Academy embedded in me has allowed me to emerge as a global scholar with the support of my family and lifelong friends that I made in Hyderabad and elsewhere,” he explains.
20 December 2017
An alumus of AKA Mombasa and University of California Berkeley, Rahim reflects: "The Academy helped me to grow to be the man I am today by instilling values of social conscience and intellectual curiosity that I continue to hold precious today."
21 November 2017
Mary considers her time at the Academy in Mombasa to be a gift. With compassion and leadership, she is determined to help students with similar backgrounds succeed and receive the same opportunities she was granted.
12 November 2017
Danish is global citizen with a creative approach to life. One of his many achievements is the award-winning app, Orai, which aims to make anyone become a better public speaker using artificial intelligence.
17 October 2017
“The Academy helped instil within me a need to contribute to community where possible and a sense of self confidence and teamwork.”
26 September 2017
“I believe that with education, people have the power to tackle and solve problems that affect their communities,” reflects Kelvin Njue, a graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa who has benefitted from the Ontario Tuition Waiver Programme.
12 September 2017
Ruhi Kamal Manek, an alumna of the Aga Khan Academies Mombasa, took away one enduring lesson from the Academy: the importance of engaging in thoughtful and careful consideration of diverse opinions.
30 August 2017
Tanaz Hudda currently acts as the new poster girl for the University of Victoria. She graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in 2016 and has just completed her first year of university in Canada.
22 August 2017
Aleem Mawji shares his journey of self-discovery, which began at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa and continued towards creating tangible change.
11 July 2017
Khushboo Khoja has a strong passion for helping others which she developed during her time at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad. “I feel like my experience at the Academy was very significant as it made me realise that I am interested in working with social issues and trying to help communities,” she reflects.
23 June 2017
Aman Punjani graduated from the Academy in 2016 and took a gap year to pursue his career as a competitive cyclist. Today, he is the U-23 Telangana state champion.
10 March 2017
“Being part of an open-minded community that encouraged challenging what we were taught, the willingness to accept one another and inspire each other to grow constantly, was very refreshing. I credit these experiences for much of who I am today.” – Dania Quadri, Class of 2014
27 February 2017
Aga Khan Academy graduate Joshua Tibatemwa swam for Uganda in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He credits the Academy with growing him not just academically but "as a person.” He plans to return to Uganda, saying, “If I want things back home to change, I have to work to be the change.”
27 June 2016
“I think that at the end of the day what everything comes down to is how we can be citizens of the world and how we can change the world that we live in to make it a better place for ourselves and children that follow us. And part of that also means giving back to your own community,” says Karishma Bhagani.
17 June 2016
"The Academy is an environment that challenges and nurtures leaders that are fearless, courageous and stewards. I have always envisioned growing up to be one myself."
17 May 2016
Kashyap Gohel, who graduated from the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, tells us about his experiences and how the Academies contributed his many accomplishments.
25 January 2016
Ham Serunjogi, an alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, is a natural leader, bold thinker and team player. A recent graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa, Ham traveled widely before landing a job at Facebook. He has a passion for making connections that give back.
13 March 2015
"There are a lot of values that the Academy instilled in me that I carry to this day. It has taught me the importance of being aware of the community around us as well as giving back to the community whenever possible," says Class of 2012 alumnus Fatema Sheikh.
23 January 2015
“I believe [Aga Khan Academy Mombasa] is where I shaped my values that I still hold to this day. It is also where I saw and felt the importance of building a community, no matter how large or small.” Indeed, the importance of these values to Mirabelle Arodi is obvious in her actions after graduation from the Academy.
Aga Khan Academy Dhaka Construction - February 2019
See our latest photo gallery and aerial drone footage showing progress on the construction of the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka – February 2019.
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Thursday, March 14, 2019
Educational Philosophy
Education is a creative, joyful process that engenders hope and curiosity. Through a diverse and rigorous curriculum, the Aga Khan Academies strive for the development of the whole person. Academies students will be able to contribute to and positively influence their communities. Through academic, athletic and artistic pursuits, they become lifelong learners and leaders.
Education is most relevant and inspiring when it connects young people to the world around them. By encouraging students to think flexibly and to connect their learning to real issues, the Academies build curiosity, compassion and a desire to make a difference.
The programmes of the International Baccalaureate curriculum have therefore been adapted to the specific environment of each Academy, with students developing a deep grounding in their local context alongside learning about relevant international issues and ideas.
An Academies education engenders a pluralistic and ethical approach to life and leadership.
Diverse educational experiences mean that students develop the willingness to embrace difference, and to learn from it. From the very youngest years, everyone works together to develop a sense of civic responsibility and service.
All students are encouraged to use their understanding and skills to take meaningful and sustainable action that makes a real difference to the lives of others.
"...above all, it is my hope that these schools will stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity and honest inquiry so that their students can adapt and thrive in a world of rapid change; can make informed judgements on life’s daily challenges, and place those judgements in an ethical framework."
Jimnah Kimani David: Promoting diversity through sports
“I think one of the biggest assets the Academy has is the diverse cultural background in the student body. Having players coming from all over the world from so many walks of life adds a unique element to playing as a team.”
Coach Jimnah Kimani At the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) Mombasa, Jimnah Kimani David wears a lot of different hats. He is the administrative assistant to the vice principal Diploma Progamme, the assistant sports coordinator, as well as a year 6 mentor. However, he is probably best known on campus in his capacity as the open boys’ basketball team coach.
Early in his life, Jimnah had never planned to coach a high school basketball team. “I was originally going to go into accounting,” he said. “I later realised I wanted to work with people, and more importantly, with children, which is why I decided to go into education.”
However, he was not entirely inexperienced in his capacity as a basketball coach. Before he graduated in 1999, Jimnah had already begun helping out his high school basketball coach at Mombasa Baptist High School. He was initially taken on as an informal translator for their Texan coach, Stan Littleford, but he quickly became a valuable mentor and role model for the younger players on the team. From then, he grew from strength to strength, eventually leading his team to win two national titles as a player, and one as a coach in 2007.
His stellar coaching skills did not go unnoticed. In the 2012–2013 off-season, Jimnah was approached to take on a role coaching the AKA Mombasa open boys’ basketball team. “I felt I had proven myself as a coach with Mombasa Baptist. But they are an established, well-known basketball school. I relished the challenge of taking on a fresh team and starting with them from scratch.”
Jimnah joined the Academy in August 2012. He had learned about the school from his brother Charles Mwangi Waweru, who attended the Academy and graduated in 2009. “What drew me to the institution was the commitment the Academy had to providing facilities for excellent education to students from all backgrounds,” he reflects.
Coach Jimnah Kimani (far right) with the AKA Mombasa open boys' basketball teamAs a coach at the Academy, he took an eclectic team of inexperienced players and whipped them into shape to become regional champions. Some of his students had never played the game before, but under Coach Kimani’s tutelage and grueling training, they have grown to work as a team and be viewed as contenders on a national stage against teams from schools with long careers in basketball prestige.
However, Jimnah is quick to acknowledge what this position has meant for him. “My time at the Academy has been very rewarding, especially with regard to my own self-management and personal growth.” Indeed, juggling so many responsibilities and within such different arenas of school life has made Jimnah a great role model for the holistic development encouraged in the students. His incredible feat of beating his own five-year plan for the basketball team and having them crowned regional champions after three years at the Academy speaks volumes about his commitment to the team.
Jimnah is currently pursuing a qualification in physical health education from Kenyatta University. He has completed one year of his course online and is looking forward to gaining his degree as well as building his work experience while he continues to work at the Academy.
By Sarra Sheikh
Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation visits the Aga Khan Academy Maputo
