The Aga Khan Curricular Strands (AK Strands) are a unique part of the programme offered by the Aga Khan Academies. The AK Strands are areas of learning aimed specifically at developing knowledge, skills and attitudes required by future leaders.

Our goal at the Academies is to develop young people who have strong local roots and are also globally minded. They should be able to become leaders in whichever fields they choose.

To help achieve this goal, we have identified five areas of learning, the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, that we believe are important for our students. These are:

• Ethics
• Pluralism
• Cultures (with an emphasis on Muslim civilisations)
• Governance and Civil Society
• Economics for Development.

Implementing the AK Strands

The Aga Khan Curricular Strands are not taught as independent subjects. Instead, we weave them into the existing subject areas of the academic curriculum. They help inform the selection of content and themes for study. The AK Strands also provide direction for school life outside the classroom in areas such as policy making, recruitment, student life and residential life.

Two of the AK Strands, Ethics and Pluralism, help students develop values and dispositions required by ethical leaders. Our students learn about these areas in theory and are also encouraged to practice what they learn in their everyday lives.

Through the other three AK Strands, our students learn about ideas that are important to the functioning of societies. In particular, they learn about how these ideas impact people’s lives in countries of the developing world. The knowledge they gain helps them understand key issues from both local and international perspectives.

The AK Strands in practice

The Aga Khan Curricular Strands were developed at the first Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and are designed to be used in different cultural contexts. Teachers at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad helped tailor the AK Strands for the local environment in India and the teachers at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka will do the same.

For example, grade 3 students worked on a history and geography unit about Hyderabad that related to Economics for Development. The students examined how the physical features of the area influenced the city and its economic activity. They learned about employment today and also looked at traditional forms of work, including a visit to a nearby weaving cooperative. This unit helped the students understand both general ideas about economics and their impact on daily life in Hyderabad.

Through the Aga Khan Curricular Strands, our students develop attitudes and values that will help them throughout their lives. They also gain knowledge and understanding that will allow them to contribute positively to their societies in the future.

 

For more information on the educational programme offered at the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka, please visit the Academic Programme page.

The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad is the second in a network of Aga Khan Academies being established in countries across Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East. The first Academy opened in Mombasa, Kenya in 2003 and the third in Maputo, Mozambique in 2013.

The aim of the Academies is to develop future leaders with the skills and knowledge to support positive development in their societies. We achieve this by recruiting exceptional young people from all backgrounds and providing them with the highest international standard of education.

Admission is competitive and based on student merit, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. Each Academy endeavours to meet the demonstrated financial need of each admitted student.

When complete, the network of Academies will form a global learning community of approximately 18 schools in 14 countries (map). They will eventually serve approximately 14,000 girls and boys of exceptional calibre, graduating 1,500 students annually.

For more information, visit our Academies network home page.

The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad offers an education of an internationally recognised standard of excellence to prepare students to become intellectually curious, globally-minded citizens of the world.

The Academy programme develops students who are committed to positive change and are able to understand and analyse complex issues of local, national and global significance.

Our curriculum is built on the framework of the International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB is a thorough, multidisciplinary curriculum that fosters:

• intellectual curiosity
• creativity
• leadership development
• social consciousness
• a pluralistic sensibility. 

The IB is also known for preparing students for admission to the best universities in their own countries and abroad.

Our focus is on developing students' critical thinking skills and the ability to analyse issues. We also emphasise multicultural understanding and awareness. One of the ways in which we help our students develop skills for ethical leadership is through the Aga Khan Curricular Strands. These are cross-disciplinary areas of study that have been developed for the network of Aga Khan Academies.

Overall educational programme

Our curriculum is complemented by enrichment, athletic and community service initiatives. The overall educational programme is designed to educate well-rounded, civic-minded individuals. It enhances students’ academic excellence, leadership skills, sense of civic responsibility, understanding of global issues, and analytical and study skills. The programme also reinforces an understanding of local languages, history, cultures and environment.

When they graduate from the Academy, students are expected to be computer literate and have a thorough understanding of the diverse academic disciplines covered in the IB curriculum. They should have mastered at least two languages, including English. Through the planned international exchange programme, our students will be able to enhance their foreign language learning and appreciation of other cultures. 

Our graduates are thus well prepared for the rigours of higher education and to pursue opportunities in an increasingly interdependent world.

 

For further information on the IB programmes offered at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, please visit the following pages:

• Primary Years Programme (grades 1–5)
• Middle Years Programme (grades 6–10)
• Diploma Programme (grades 11–12).

4:26 pm. Four minutes were left until the arrival of our chief guest, Birad Rajaram Yajnik, in a small room next to where the Opening Ceremony was supposed to take place. One director next to another, smiles of nervousness were worn with elegant black suits, graceful dresses, and palette of different ties. With a sudden tap, we were present in front of a man who has written a book translated in nine different languages, spoke on the basis of Gandhi of the 21^st century, and was the creator of the “World Citizen Passport”.

Within minutes, after we made our way to the Opening Ceremony, the Secretary General, Alisha Sonawalla passionately announced, “I now declare the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad Model United Nations open!” Putting one last button on their suits freshly taken out of their wardrobes, students metamorphosed into delegates making their way to their respective committees. One could not help but notice the solidarity present amongst everyone.

The press was known as the ears and eyes of the MUN conference. A picture can speak a thousand words and seeing is to believe. It is through press that one can connect with another and information has been accessible in every corner of the world. And, within our small community, this is what happened. Two articles were written by each reporter to capture the committee they were allotted to report. A formal article was written represented by their newspaper and another choice article was written to encapsulate the committee in the most creative way possible. Press conferences and crisis were also an integral part of the work that the reporters and photographers had to take up.

Reporters and photographers were on their feet at all times, running to capture a crisis update, to jotting down the points. As director, chasing them to do their work was a bit tedious, being left with a sea of words to look over. At the end of the day, the array of words and pictures will keep the memories of the Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad Models United Nations alive for years to come.

By Nikita Madhani