Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad Recognised as Microsoft Showcase School

The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad blazes trails in innovative education, and leads edutech initiatives in Hyderabad through a partnership with Microsoft.

As part of an emerging and exciting partnership between Microsoft and the Academy, four school representatives – Sanjeeb Mohanty, Director of IT for the Academies; Koel Ray, Dean of Studies; Vani Vishwanath, Head of IT, Senior School; and Leigh Fisher representing External Relations – recently attended a workshop organised by Microsoft in Delhi.

Microsoft believes that technology is an accelerator of change, but cannot be wholly effective or sustainable without the power of the educator and the school leader, and the impact they have when these two elements are brought together. In this context, the Microsoft Showcase Schools program is a leadership-focused initiative that highlights innovative leadership and teaching across globally recognised educational institutions.

Having been selected to be a part of this network, the Academy has demonstrated its passion for ensuring that students use technology that adequately prepares them for the future. The learning environment is therefore empowered by technology, and the Academy will be deploying personalised learning that uses Microsoft solutions (e.g., Surface, Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, Skype) to enable anywhere, anytime education for all students.

This collaboration is in alignment with the vision of His Highness the Aga Khan, who has articulated that education also must teach students how to master information technologies, as these skills not only form a critical component of the learning process, but are also indispensable in the workplace. It is also in alignment with the Academy’s immediate goals to provide opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills in a rich environment by promoting and developing further the inquiry based approach to teaching and learning.

The second day of the workshop was focused on determining the stakeholder landscape, discussing IT policy formulation and project planning, which included a 21-step Action Plan. This partnership brings with it numerous benefits to the Academy, including empowering staff to improve the quality of classroom delivery, while enabling students in self-directed learning. Through strengthening creativity and expansion of thinking skills, and by crafting an atmosphere where students can exchange ideas, the integration of this programme is strongly rooted in fundamental International Baccalaureate pedagogical principles, which focus on collaboration, communication, self-management and research.

As a Microsoft Showcase School, the Aga Khan Academy is maximising its potential to revolutionise teaching and learning, which directly resonates with His Highness the Aga Khan’s thoughts as encapsulated in this quote:

“Educating effective future leaders is a high responsibility. To do it well, we must look beyond the world which is passing from sight and turn our eyes to the uncharted world of the future. We must rise above the antiquated approaches of earlier days and instead infuse our students with what I would call three 'A’s' of modern learning – the spirit of anticipation, the spirit of adaptation and the spirit of adventure.”