At the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, Sujana Veeramachaneni holds more than her official titles of biology teacher and Assistant Coordinator for the Diploma Programme (DP), science teacher for the Middle Years Programme, and dorm parent. Sujana also ensures her students see her as a friend, mentor and pillar of support.

“They should always feel that I’m there for them, no matter the situation, or condition or time of day,” she insists. “Sometimes I get midnight phone calls! They don’t hesitate to approach me.”

Since the majority of DP students live on campus, “My job doesn’t end in the school,” she explains. “We see them as students, and the dorm is like a home for them – so it’s like seeing them at school and at home – same child, different behaviour. Sometimes it’s difficult to draw a line, because we see them here as well as in the school – so that emotional role is with us, also."

“Of course, I have to draw the line – otherwise maintaining discipline is quite difficult – but at the same time, that line is flexible. It’s not firm – but of course, there is a thin line.”

From her side, Sujana believes that she and other staff can learn from the students’ impressive ability to control their emotions at school. “These are all teenagers,” she reflects. “We see them here, inside and outside. Sometimes, even we lose control – but the students don’t have tantrums in front of their teachers. That’s what I learn from them – how to control our emotions.”

Sujana remembers what she went through at her students’ ages, and understands the pressures they face, especially those approaching graduation from the Diploma Programme, who face multiple deadlines, university applications, and academic and personal challenges. “I always put myself in their shoes,” she emphasises, and shares with her students her anecdotes on how she dealt with stress as a student. 

At the same time, she acknowledges times have changed. “This generation is under more pressure – we were not exposed to so many kinds of media or diversions. They are dealing with many things at the same time – compared to them, when we were students, we had less complexity in our lives.”

The demanding IB curriculum motivates Sujana as a teacher, even though her switch to a career in teaching was first supposed to be temporary. Sujana holds an MSc in life sciences, with a specialisation in endocrinology, and a PhD in plant physiology. Her research focused on the physio-biochemical parameters of the post-harvest life of roses, after which she worked in post-harvest floriculture in Bangalore. In 2002 she relocated to Hyderabad and started working as a teacher in an international school.

She was drawn to the demanding and challenging nature of the International Baccalaureate curriculum and in 2013 joined the Aga Khan Academy as a biology teacher. Her career at the Academy has been a learning trajectory: “I’m definitely enjoying the professional development here.” She highlights the different positions she has held over the years, as well as gaining confidence over the years in teaching, helping, and guiding Special Education Needs (SEN) students, and the training, support and resources she has received from the SEN specialist at the Academy.

She also appreciates that the Academy itself is always developing – every year different projects, opportunities and ideas are introduced or planned for the future, and she praises the community service that the school ensures students experience:  “It is inculcated in the students – the mission itself is very good and strong.”

The Academy is also always learning from its students; if, for example, some students stand out at drawing or music, the staff will learn from those strengths, and apply what they learn with students in the next batch. The curriculum is reviewed every year, and coordinators and deans take sessions every year to improve and upgrade their skills.

Academically, Sujana especially appreciates the opportunities students have to explore their own interests and to learn independently – “That is the beauty of the Extended Essay.” 

“It’s very dynamic,” she explains, and she describes the Extended Essay as a “piece of research work, where the student will find their passion” and submit an essay akin to a mini-thesis.

Because “the curriculum has the scope to identify the strength of the student in different ways” and “the student will design their own labs,” independence and the opportunity to follow one’s own interests is important: “Every student’s choice is different,” she says.

As their teacher, Sujana enjoys the intricacies of guiding the students individually and tailoring her teaching style to their interests and strengths. This year, she is supervising six students, whose self-selected Extended Essay projects explore a range of topics including hydroponics, the greenhouse effect and carbon dioxide concentrations, mushroom cultivation, seed germination, and the effect of music on the growth of plants.

Sujana enjoys being able to show her dynamic, expressive side at the Academy and the freedom of teaching styles and resources that is not always available at other schools. But she finds even more satisfaction in mentoring than in teaching, and it is most rewarding when her students achieve their goals – obtain university admission, get their diploma, or overcome an obstacle when they thought they couldn’t cope, but were “able to achieve something with our guidance.”

She emphasises the need to be adaptable and compassionate towards her students, both for academic and emotional support. “You have to tailor yourself to the needs of the students because some students, you really have to encourage them, motivate them, and some students – at times you have to be firm, strict,” she explains. “I change myself, as per their needs.” 

When asked what she envisions for her students’ futures, Sujana replies that she wants them to identify their passions and to continue doing what they like. “I want them always to be confident.

By Natasha Pirani

Nabil Patel is currently studying in grade 11 at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, where he has been a student for the last five years. "The Academy has provided me many opportunities to grow as a balanced individual and reach my true potential, both academically and athletically. In the last three years, I have been the Vice-Captain of the U-14 and U-15 football teams, and Captain of the U-16 team. Being part of a team and also having been given positions of authority has taught me about leadership and the qualities one should inculcate to be an inspiring leader."

Another passion of Nabil's that he has been encouraged and supported in pursuing is photography. He took part in the beginners and advanced Fredric Roberts Photography Workshops at the Academy in October 2015 and March 2017 respectively. Fred unleashed his talent and predilection for photography, and after the advanced workshop, he joined his team as a teaching assistant for a beginner’s workshop for Academy and government school students. With the experience and skill gained, Nabil now also runs a photography club as an after-school enrichment activity for three hours a week, to teach students how to tell stories through still images.

As part of his IB MYP (Middle Years Programme) Personal Project, he wrote a photography book to share his knowledge with those who were not as lucky as he was to have been trained by a world-renowned photographer such as Fred. In order to create a quality product, he held multiple interviews with professional photographers and spent hours collecting and clicking pictures for the book. "Many questioned the need for this book and said there were books on photography available on Amazon and other easily accessible platforms. I told them that my book is different because it starts with the basics of photography and steadily progresses to more advanced practical applications. I also wanted to write a book that was affordable for another ‘kid’ like me who could try his/her hand at photography and give it a shot." The book contains unique aspects such as ‘Section 7: A Professional’s View’ where a number of professional photographers unveil their secrets to achieve perfection and provide some quick tips. Keeping all this in mind, he decided to name the book ‘Click! Your Guide to Photography,’ which is now available for sale on Amazon at this link.

"My skill in photography has taken me a long way. I am currently working under the AKDN’s National Task Force for the Jubilee Celebrations as a photojournalist, capturing events and presenting them through my photographs. My work has been published through The Ismaili India on multiple mediums and featured in the Times of India student edition. I also assist the Aga Khan Academy’s communications department with in-house media projects and publications. Most recently, I was awarded an Outstanding Delegate Award at the India International Model United Nations held in August 2017 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Although I have been a longstanding participant at the Academy Model United Nations (MUN) and at other school MUNs, and have a 100%-win record in the International Press, this was my first time competing at an international forum. I came back more confident about my skills and more determined to make them better, even if it takes a lot of hard work!"

“Through our chain of observation, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa surely plays an active role in the holistic development of every child. This is our consistent finding all through the two years of IB Diploma programme our daughter studied. This two-year journey at Aga Khan Academy Mombasa was fully laden with profound experiences that we cherish, as we have eventually seen our daughter progress in all domains of development.”

Faliha Altaf Mukhi graduated from the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa in 2017 with an International Baccalaureate Diploma and is now pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Global Business and Digital Art at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Faliha's proud parents, Aneela and Altaf Mukhi, are very happy with their child’s experience at the Academy. “The overall progress that we have seen in her is outstanding, both academically and non-academically!” they exclaim.

Faliha’s parents reside in Kampala, Uganda. Enrolling their daughter at the Aga Khan Academy, they say, was one of their best decisions. They feel that the educational experience provided by the Academy is exceptional, in the Eastern African region and beyond.

According to her parents, Faliha was able to take advantage of a number of development opportunities during her two years at the Academy. For example, she was the president of the Green Gang, an environmental protection endeavour, and was also involved in reporting for the school's website. In addition, Faliha participated in several information technology projects such as database creation and graphic design – she designed certificates, logos and marketing materials. “This experience at the Academy contributed tremendously towards her dream career in digital art. Through the Academy, she also had an opportunity to intern at the Aga Khan Foundation Uganda which further increased her IT skills and leadership capacity,” her parents mention proudly.

“The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is modern and well informed in implementing an effective educational approach,” say Aneela and Altaf. They particularly appreciated the communication facilitated by the Academy through which parents are kept up to date on the curriculum, activities, assignments, results as well as overall performance. “This regular monitoring through effective means of communication helps the parents to take immediate action and ask for assistance from the very cooperative and talented teachers,” they comment.

For Faliha’s parents, the Aga Khan Academy helped tap into the hidden talents and potential of their child. “The day we were informed by our daughter’s mentor that she had successfully led her team towards their destination on their mountaineering adventure on Mount Kassigau, we felt very proud indeed! It made us reflect on her perseverance, leadership and analytical ability for problem solving. These innate abilities, somehow, remained subdued before this experience at the Academy,” they note. 

“I can happily say that the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa expresses all the traits of a learning community with all stakeholders having shared values and vision. Students at the Academy are active participants in learning... Such an environment truly nurtures them fully,” says Aneela. Moreover, Faliha’s parents find the systems at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa to be well organised, and they commend: “Residential and academic, both sectors are remarkably performing to the best of their ability. Well done all!”