Breakfast meetings with new Head of Academy
Academy Swimmers Make Us Proud
Academy alumnus swims at the Olympic Games
Academy swimmers go to South Africa
Academy hosts IB Training Workshops
US Concert Pianist stars at the Academy
Rajan Thampi: Working for a cause
Rajan has played this role of connecting students to resources for his entire career. His work with Aga Khan Education Services began in 2008 in Maheshwaram Mandal, present day Telangana, where he implemented outreach programs for government schools and anganwadis. Rajan was in charge of programs like introducing life skills to high schoolers, leading health programs for adolescent girls, organising inter school sports competitions, and also training teachers for pre-primary and primary schools. Rajan’s other responsibility at that time, something he is still involved in, is creating and maintaining relationships with government officials.
A significant part of outreach depends on securing permission and getting recognition from government education bodies. Rajan played a major role in getting junior and senior schools recognised by the authorities. Rajan thanks the people who support the outreach department in these endeavors - the Academies Unit and members of the local board, Suleiman Hirani and Jayanthi.
Born in Kerala, the second of five siblings, Rajan grew up in Shakkarnagar, Telangana. Shakkarnagar is home to historical industrial era sites built under the Nizam. Most significant among these sites is the 1,600 square kilometer Nizam Sugar Factory that the town gets its name from. Designed as a model town, the place was built for factory employees and their families. “My father was an accountant in the factory,” remembers Rajan, “and we use to live in the accommodation provided by the factory in its colony.” Madhu Malancha high school, where Rajan went, was also created and funded by the factory. But India’s sugar trade has been in decline for decades, and in his lifetime Rajan has had to see the closure and privatisation of the massive factory. “Asia’s largest sugar factory is now shut,” he muses.
After completing senior school, Rajan gained a Bachelors in Commerce and started teaching at a private school. Finding his calling, Rajan then pursued a Bachelors in Education, focusing on social studies and education. Today he also has a Masters degree in social work under his belt. To Rajan, these degrees are tools to help others. Asked about the outreach department's future plans, his responses are ambitious and focused. “Reaching out to 31 districts of Telangana,” he says, “and to continue to share expertise through collaborative discussion forums for the government teachers are some of my plans.”
“Inner delight,” he says, “and the satisfaction obtained from working for a cause are the rewards I seek from my work." If the outreach program is a manifestation of the ethos behind service and stewardship, then Rajan exemplifies those ethos.
Rosa Jorge: Encouraging expression through the arts
A new arrival at the Academy in Maputo, Rosa completed the Academies’ Teacher Preparation Programme (TPP) at the AKA Mombasa in December 2019. Calling it one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, she lauds the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Sessions for pushing her to be a better teacher.
Looking back at her TPP journey, Rosa recounts, “I, personally, have seen myself grow as a teacher and a social individual. The experience has changed the way I approach the teaching and learning process. As teachers, it is possible to change the world through education – all we have to do is believe in that and go do it!”
Drama in the family
She began her now 20-year journey with drama from the nascent age of 14. When her brother and friends were taking up extra-curricular activities such as swimming and football, Rosa’s only interest was joining Mutumbelinhas, a local children’s theatre group. She credits her aunt, who ran the group, for helping her break away from her shy persona. “My hubsand put together a play called ‘Ziraldo’ based on the Brazilian writer's life. It was such a big change for me because I was a shy kid and through drama, I became a different person,” she recounts.
Since then, the stage has become her life. It is where she met her husband, who is a director of the Mbeu theatre group and a teacher at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. It is also the field of work for her son, a theatrical producer and her sister, an actress.
Empowering students with confidence through arts and drama
She hit the ground running in Maputo taking on her role as the Academy’s Drama teacher in January 2020. One of Rosa’s passions include organising workshops promoting self-expression, believing these are key in providing different methods of communication – be it, art, movement, singing, or dialogue and bringing children out of their comfort zone in a safe space. Rosa explains, “Through these workshops, children simply react to the directive and break out of their shell, forgetting that they were shy in the first place.”
Drama goes beyond the stage for Rosa who has been bringing to the fore issues of local cultures and traditions. Over the past few weeks, she has invited many artists to speak about the ethnic groups of Nyau and Mapiko, whereby the children have been learning through the method of mask making and movement classes. Drama has always been more than just performance for Rosa who said, “...it is a very strong tool to build various capacities within young students. It sharpens their communicative, social, collaborative and emotional skills.”
Geared to take on the years to come, Rosa shared that she can already see the seeds of transformation taking root in some students. “I believe that my training in theatre supplemented by the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum will present the opportunity to pick up the diamonds in the rough and shine them up,” she explained. “In my opinion, it is important to have Drama as part of a balanced school curriculum in order to develop a socially, emotionally and culturally-aware individual.”
Welcome back assembly
Welcome back to campus
