Class of 2009 Graduation Ceremony

On Saturday 13 June, the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa celebrated the graduation of its third cohort of IB Diploma students. Twenty three young men and women have completed the diploma and await their results in early July. They intend following the pattern established by previous graduates, to study at leading colleges and universities in Kenya and across five continents of the world.

Director of the Academies Programme, Salim Bhatia, addressed a large audience at the celebration and reminded them of the significant progress being made at the Academy, as it is now the only school in Kenya authorized by the IB to offer the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme. In addition, it is now integrating the unique curricular strands into its curriculum, making the learning wholly relevant for a student from East Africa preparing for tomorrow’s world. The completion of its first residential building allows the Academy to offer this high quality education to young men and women from all over the region.

The Key note address was then made by guest speaker Professor Azim Nanji. Professor Nanji was actually born in Kenya and attended the Aga Khan School in Mombasa. He subsequently has held senior academic and administrative posts at various American and Canadian universities. He is currently the Senior Associate Director of the Abbasi Programme in Islamic Studies at the Stanford University in California.

Professor Nanji spoke to the graduating class and the audience of the heritage of East Africa and the history of the footprints which have been left by generations from this culturally rich part of the world. Professor Nanji encouraged the graduates to go out into the world and make their footprints. Quoting a 9th century Arabic work, Professor Nanji’s advice to the graduates was what a teacher in this work advised his student “I was once ignorant and acquired knowledge. You too have now done the same but remember that it is meaningless if you do not pass that knowledge on to others’. Download Professor Azim Nanji's speech (PDF).

The ceremony ended with musical celebrations, including traditional Kenyan songs performed by the Academy teachers. Head of Academy, Peter J. McMurray, commented that the quality of the graduating class was extremely high and he was confident that they would be capable of listening to the words of wisdom from Dr. Nanji and go out into the world and make a difference.