Staff attend professional development on new student-parent handbook | Aga Khan Academies

Staff attend professional development on new student-parent handbook

10 August 2024

In August, the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka hosted several professional development sessions to help prepare the staff for the upcoming academic year. The newly joined Dean of Studies Mr Joseph Hamkari and Pastoral Head Mr Zeeshan Zakaria led the sessions to introduce an upgraded student-parent handbook to the teachers.  

During the sessions, a new discipline matrix was introduced which focused on resolving challenges in today’s fast-paced society with the continuous evolution of technology around the world. The matrix included coping mechanisms to continue learning with resilience, as well as behaviour and attitude expectations from students and staff. In addition to shedding light on issues like cyberbullying and spamming, measures for encouraging empathy and healthy online habits were discussed. For example, students should not use phones during school times and they should always act with kindness to their peers. Additionally, to ensure student agency, the sessions highlighted how the staff should work together to create a safer and more enabling environment on campus.  

The newly adopted discipline policies also have zero tolerance towards any kind of addictive substance on campus and promote student-led advocacy along with the pastoral head’s supervision. Initiatives have been taken to create a supportive campus to ensure students can express their opinions and communicate challenges they are facing. The aim is to enable students to communicate honestly with their educators and instil a mindset of lifelong learning.    

“Our students belong to an age of transformation when they need our support to bloom,” Mr Zeeshan said. “Students should be able to speak freely with the teachers and share things that they cannot with parents. They need a space to express more to ensure their mental health and well-being are being looked after.”  

To wrap up the sessions, Mr Zeeshan and Mr Joseph shared their best practices in teaching from their diverse experience and exposure to national and international educational institutes.