Professional Development Centre Graduation

It was a joyful occasion yesterday when 98 educators, from schools across Kenya, graduated from professional development programmes in educational management and training in English at The Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa.

The programmes, which are delivered by the Academy’s dedicated Professional Development Centre (PDC), are conducted in collaboration with Kenya’s Ministry of Education, the Teachers Service Commission, the Aga Khan Foundation, East Africa and the Department for International Development (DFID). The PDC provides high quality programmes focused on subject content acquisition, general pedagogical skills, interactive learning techniques and student-centred teaching methodologies, with the aim of deepening the pool of well-trained teachers across the region, raising the status of teachers and encouraging talented people to enter the profession.

Of the 98 who graduated, 37 were primary and nursery school teachers who had successfully completed the Programme for Teachers of English which focuses on effective teaching methods in language learning and works to improve teachers’ fluency in English. The programme is currently being piloted in two other Aga Khan Academies: Maputo and Hyderabad.  An additional 56 school leaders completed the Educational Management Programmes and received the Certificate in Education: Educational Leadership and Management, while five others graduated from the Training of Trainers Programme, which qualifies them to deliver the Programme to teachers of English in their own institutions.

The Head of the Academy, Rob Burrough, congratulated the graduands on their success, saying that partnerships with the local schools and organisations are an important aspect of the Academy’s joint mission of service and leadership. He added that the 98 graduating educators are testament to the power of different organisations working in collaboration with a common focus.