Grade 4 students meet a human rights specialist
Publications
Aga Khan Schools University Counselling Handbook 2023-2024
AKA Mombasa IB School Profile 2022-2023
AKA Hyderabad IB School Profile 2022-2023
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
AKA Maputo Quick Facts Sheet (ENG and PT)
Aga Khan Schools Annual Publication 2021
The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Publications
Aga Khan Schools University Counselling Handbook 2023-2024
AKA Mombasa IB School Profile 2022-2023
AKA Hyderabad IB School Profile 2022-2023
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
AKA Maputo Quick Facts Sheet (ENG and PT)
Aga Khan Schools Annual Publication 2021
The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Job Opportunities
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad is committed to hiring the best educators and staff from within the local community, nationally and internationally. We welcome your interest in working with us and invite you to explore the opportunities available.
About the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
Set on a stunning 100-acre campus, south of the historic city of Hyderabad, the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad is part of a network of Academies, which will soon form an inter-connected global learning community of 18 schools in 14 countries. Based on the vision of His Highness the Aga Khan, the Academy recruits exceptional students from diverse backgrounds irrespective of their ability to pay. Our holistic educational philosophy, International Baccalaureate curriculum and commitment to pluralism enables students to become ethical leaders who are empowered to make positive contributions in an ever-changing world. To find out more about the Academy, click here.
Working at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
Here at AKA Hyderabad, we are united in the belief that education can be a force for good in the world. We look for outstanding educators whose work is characterised by passion, the ability to inspire others and make a difference, and work that is committed to helping students find their grand passion in life.
We recognise that the knowledge, skills and experience of our staff are a vital part of achieving our commitment to excellence. The Academy is strongly committed to continuing education for our faculty, and we provide regular opportunities for professional development.
The Academy is also proud to offer an outstanding work environment with excellent facilities, and a unique and diverse school community.
Current job opportunities
- Primary Years Programme teacher
- Art teacher (Primary Years Programme/Middle Years Programme)
- EAL specialist
- Math teacher (Middle Years Programme/Diploma Programme)
- Humanities teacher (Middle Years Programme/Diploma Programme)
How to apply
- CV (two pages)
- Cover letter (one page)
- Two references and their contact information
- A 250-300 word personal statement on how the Academy's vision and values find expression in your own life and teaching.
For more information on each of the vacancies, visit the AKDN Career Centre. Listings are updated regularly, so be sure to check back often.
Publications
Aga Khan Schools University Counselling Handbook 2023-2024
AKA Mombasa IB School Profile 2022-2023
AKA Hyderabad IB School Profile 2022-2023
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
AKA Maputo Quick Facts Sheet (ENG and PT)
Aga Khan Schools Annual Publication 2021
The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
Excellence in Education
New Head for AKA,Hyderabad
New Head for AKA,Hyderabad
Admissions
The network of Aga Khan Academies has been established to provide exceptional students from all backgrounds with an outstanding education. Admissions are currently being accepted for the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes in both Mombasa and Hyderabad and for the Primary Years Programme in Maputo.
The Academy seeks students from pre-primary through higher secondary levels representing a diverse range of economic, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Students should have the ability and motivation to excel academically and should demonstrate leadership in community service and other co-curricular pursuits.
Selection is means-blind and competitive, based on student merit.
The Academy endeavours to meet the demonstrated financial need of each admitted student.
Candidate characteristics
The admissions committee evaluates candidates based on a range of measures and selects those demonstrating a high level of motivation and commitment to learning, a strong sense of integrity and respect for others from diverse backgrounds.
Successful applicants typically demonstrate the following characteristics:
"The students at this institution will be distinguished not only for their academic capacity, but for their character and commitment to citizenship."
- a record of outstanding academic achievement or potential
- highly motivated and intellectually curious
- a strong sense of integrity – the capacity to judge right and wrong and to stand up for one’s principles
- a high level of social awareness, including openness and sensitivity to those of different backgrounds
- the desire to work towards, and instigate, positive change
- leadership in community service, student government and/or sporting activities
- notable accomplishments in the visual or performing arts.
Please visit the websites of the individual Academies for further information and application forms.
Samantha Caras: Pioneering new approaches to University Counselling
Samantha Caras is from Southern California in the United States and has worked as a University Counsellor at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa for four years. Her budding journey first began in India where she worked as an Academy Fellow for a year at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad supporting the leadership curriculum, helping out with college essay writing and teaching yoga before embarking on her role as a University Counsellor.
During her five years with the Academies, Samantha said her work changed the trajectory of her professional and personal life.
“It showed me that small opportunities, like being sent to a conference can change the course of your life,” Samantha said.
After being mentored in AKA Hyderabad, Samantha set out on a whirlwind experience at AKA Mombasa as a full-time University Counsellor.
“Coming to Mombasa has been exciting because I was able to have a lot of ownership over my work and could structure the office however I wanted,” Samantha said. “The flexibility and creative license I was given allowed me to build and restructure the university counselling programme to fit the diverse needs of our students.” She also said she enjoyed being immersed in many cultures, owing to the diversity of the school, and making friends from all over the world has helped her gain an overseas family for life.
Samantha said what she will miss the most is working closely with the students on their essays, being a part of High-achieving, Low-income (HALI) Access Network (an association of non-profit organisations in Africa that work with high-achieving, low-income students to access international higher education opportunities) and living in beautiful Mombasa. She also said she’s learnt quite a lot professionally, especially about the role of culture and background in higher-education advising.
During her time and position at the Academy, Samantha achieved quite a lot. On a personal level, she managed to finish her Master of Education in International Counselling Psychology, after which she got Minal Shah, the head of student support and well-being, to help her out with a professional internship. For the University Counselling office, Samantha managed to change the structure of the programme to include weekly lessons on topics such as writing a resume; professional communication; writing college essays; mock admissions game; applying for financial aid and scholarships; money matters; budgeting and cost of living abroad; adjusting to life after the Academy; and developed the presentations for these lessons. She also applied for the Academy to become a member of the HALI Access Network, which has increased its visibility and given it access to numerous resources and scholarship opportunities for the Talent Identification programme students over the past four years. Additionally, she contributed to the early drafts of what is now the University Counselling Handbook for the Academies network, set up the office’s social media page on Facebook, and worked with USA-based Ismaili volunteers to develop a sustainable standardised assessment test (SAT) programme for college admissions.
Minal describes Samantha as a warm, open and candid individual who worked well with the students.
“Samantha has built significant bonds with the students she’s worked with,” Minal said. “She always encouraged and pushed the students, who always appreciated her patience, honesty and sense of humour. I will miss working with her and her enthusiasm of making things right for the students. She will be a wonderful addition to any institution she joins.”
For her next plans, Samantha said she will be moving to Quito, Ecuador to work as the college counsellor at an international school.
“It was a difficult decision to leave Mombasa and the Academies, but I am excited for the new experience and to work on my Spanish language skills again,” Samantha said.
Laboni Banerjee: cultivating community wherever she goes
Laboni was immediately attracted to AKA Hyderabad because of the vision and mission of His Highness the Aga Khan for the Aga Khan Academies. She found the values of the Academy to be more aligned with her own ethos than the school she was previously working at before joining the Academy.
“Over the course of 10 years at the Academy, I have found myself a part of a vibrant and caring community,” Laboni said.
When joining the Academy in 2010, Laboni recalls it being a much smaller school then, especially the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). There were only seven PYP teachers and the Junior School principal at the time, Diana Smith who started the PYP at the Academy, along with Sreelatha Kumar, who was the PYP coordinator at the time and is now the Junior School principal. AKA Hyderabad received the Diploma Programme and Middle Years Programme authorisation in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The latter year is when Laboni remembers seeing notable growth in both students and faculty at the Academy.
“Early years in the PYP were busy,” Laboni said. “During this time, I was also focusing on identifying myself as a member of the PYP team and growing with the school.
Over the course of her time at AKA Hyderabad, Laboni has taken on various roles. Along with being a Grade 3 teacher, Laboni took a role in the PYP reading and writing assessment in which she collected evidence and data. Laboni also helped with the Admissions Department and was responsible for checking the vocabulary of students applying to the Academy. Reflecting back, Laboni said she greatly appreciated this role because it allowed her to build a special relationship with parents and students from the very beginning of their Academy journey.
“While working with the Admissions Department I valued meeting a large number of people who were enthusiastic and eager to learn more about the PYP in the early years.”
From 2012–2014 Laboni helped with AKA Hyderabad’s Outreach Teacher Training programme, which is a core part of Academies’ Professional Development Centre (PDC) that trains local teachers around the community in various subject areas and enhances their pedagogical skills.
A few years ago, Laboni also had the opportunity to travel to the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya where she truly began to appreciate the pluralistic approach to education and diverse cultures and backgrounds the Academies values and emphasises. During her time in Mombasa, Laboni met Titus Mutemi, who was a recent graduate of the Teacher Preparation Programme – a programme provided by the Academies that trains teachers to become IB educators in their communities – and is now the PYP coordinator at AKA Mombasa. Laboni recalls Titus being filled with great enthusiasm and eagerness as he wanted to know everything about her class including the assessment techniques, books she has students read, any material created for the class and much more.
“Partnering with Laboni was such an enriching experience,” Titus said. “Her flexibility and open-mindedness made our collaboration easier and enjoyable. Years have gone by and yet her enthusiasm and unique way of engaging with the young learners is still memorable.”
When AKA Hyderabad transitioned to online learning in March 2020 due to COVID-19, Laboni said there were a few challenges she faced but was able to overcome due to the support she received from the Academy.
“In the PYP we have always used technology as a learning and teaching tool. However, when we shifted to complete online teaching, building the bridge with new students I had never met before was the biggest challenge. With physical teaching, I was able to bond with my students on a personal level, but this changed with distance learning.
However, the Academy always supported me and made me feel comfortable working on a virtual platform with a new group of learners. Assigning me to be a part of various online professional development sessions was immense support as it helped me develop my understanding of the application of various teaching tools. The virtual learning and teaching also enabled me to look at my own teaching philosophy through a different lens and reimagine my teaching strategies. Now, it is my greatest joy and top priority to see my students online and have personal conversations with them.”
Laboni said she cannot imagine her future without the Academy being a part of it. She is always involving herself in different roles throughout the Academy in order to connect with more students beyond the PYP and see how they turn their passions into reality. Laboni also said she is fortunate to be a part of a community that is continuously supportive and where she is encouraged to grow each day as an educator and individual.
“The greatest part about delivering education at the Academy and being a part of its community is that every day is a learning experience for me. I am always excited to see my students become open-minded young adults, chasing their greatest passions in life and thinking about how to make the world a better place for all.”
