Firstpost: The Aga Khan Academy at Hyderabad formally launched
The Firstpost reviews the inauguration of The Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad with a quick look at the Academy’s trajectory: from the foundation stone laying ceremony in 2005, to the opening of its doors to students in 2011, to its professional development centre for teachers and its part in the growing network of Academies that will span across Africa, the Middle East and Central and South Asia.
Photography Workshop at AKA, Hyderabad
Award-winning photographer Fredric Roberts led a week-long workshop at AKA, Hyderabad for 20 students selected from the Academy and a local Aga Khan Foundation education programme. The students, and some of their teachers, learned professional techniques which they used to take pictures at the Academy and at nearby AKDN projects. See some of their pictures here.
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Eshwari Ramsali (Class of 2018) - fusing art and ideology
“Honestly, it still hasn’t hit me that I get to go to the college of my dreams,” she said. “It’s so surreal.”
Two years ago Eshwari wrote an entrance assessment test at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad but was not sure if she would be able to join.
“I was dismayed because I loved the concept of an IB education,” she said. “The Academy made it possible for me to be here.”
Eshwari joined the Academy in 2016 and used every opportunity to learn and to express herself, diving into visual arts and global politics courses. She attributes a lot of her personal and intellectual growth to the discussions she had in her Theory of Knowledge (ToK) class.
“It upsets me that I will never have another ToK class,” she mused.
After her creativity, activity, service (CAS) summer internship in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Eshwari stayed on to do an internship at a film production house, working in production and postproduction on documentary films.
“I like to call it the summer I became a feminist,” she said. “Feminism, for me is a social movement whose success lies in providing equal opportunities for all sexes and genders.”
For Eshwari, it is natural for film and feminism to go together. She describes art and politics as her academic crushes and appreciates the IB for having the accoutrements that allow for interdisciplinary approach to learning. Her extended essay combined visual arts and global politics to write a compelling piece on freedom of expression and art activism. Eshwari’s display at the 2018 Diploma Programme Visual Arts Exhibition also espoused the mingling of subjects, presenting work with powerful feminist overtones.
“Eshwari has exemplary artistic calibre,” said Senior School art teacher, Vijayraghavan Srinivasan. “She has a meta-narrative quality in her pictorial composition which captures recollecting past memories and incidents, fusing them with self-discovery."
The DP Visual Arts Exhibition is a red letter day for Senior students and they work long hours to see it come to life.
“Personally explaining my art and concepts to viewers and seeing realisation dawn on their faces was incredibly rewarding,” Eshwari said. “The exhibition was so important for so many different reasons, and being a part of it with some of the most talented students of the Academy made me happy.”
Eshwari remembers not being confident about her decision to join the arts programme at the Academy, but she’s pleased that she did. Through the programme, Eshwari got to work with professional artists and sculptors, and also discovered artists and filmmakers whose work inspires her and helps her identify herself. Vijayraghavan describes her artwork as insightful and contemplative, and also explorative.
Though she is an exceptional artist, Eshwari wants to study political science so she can pursue a career as a humanitarian lawyer or work in development. She intends on taking courses in art history, so that she can seamlessly step back into the art world, should the opportunity arise.
“The idea of being intellectually stimulated even well into my 50s really excites me.”
Somewhere between learning about the IB and her last ToK class, Eshwari fell in love with the Academy.
“I love that my classes are filled with students from all parts of the country,” she said, “irrespective of their financial standing or cultural background. I strongly believe it helps build our vision of pluralism.”
We wish her and all the rest of the Class of 2018 the best of luck in all their future endeavors!
Fee schedule test
Fee schedule for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad Fee Schedule - 2018-19.pdf
Notes
1 A one-time non-refundable admission fee is payable for students enrolling for the first time. The admission fee must be paid to secure the place for a child at the Academy. This cannot be deferred or paid in instalments. The due date is one week after the offer has been accepted.
2 A one-time refundable security deposit is also payable on acceptance of admission and should be paid together with the admission fee mentioned above. It is refundable when a student leaves the Academy as long as the required notice has been given in writing and “No Dues” clearance is obtained from the Academy. No interest is payable on this deposit.
3 Grade 1 & 2 students will have option to pay refundable security deposit in two instalments. First instalment of Rs. 75,000 when they enter grade 3/4 and second instalment when they enter grade 5/6.
4 A sibling discount on tuition fees of 15% will be applicable for second and subsequent children.
5 Tuition fees for the academic year may be paid in full with an early-payment discount of 3% on or before 31 July. This discount is applicable on the net amount payable after other discounts have been deducted.
6 Tuition fees are payable in two equal instalments, no later than 31st July and 15th December of each academic year. For DP2 (grade 12) students the due date for the second instalment is 15th November.
7 For new admissions to an academic year the tuition fees must be paid within 30 days of admission to secure a place at the Academy.
8 The Academy will charge a monthly sur-charge of 2% on the total outstanding dues older than 30 days. In case the fees are not paid within one month’s period following the deadline, the student will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in other activities undertaken by the Academy.
9 Tuition fees include course fees, use of essential course books, library books, IT and science laboratory equipment and certain classroom supplies. The fees do not include uniform costs.
10 Exam fees for IB Middle Years Programme and the Diploma Programme will be billed separately based on the actual fee issued by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).
11 Parents of returning students will be invoiced four to six weeks prior to the new academic year.
12 The Academy no longer accepts cash for fee payments. All payments must be made by direct bank deposit, bank transfer, cheque or demand draft even if the payment is being made by a third party such as a sponsoring organization. Parents must provide the finance office (finance@agakhanacademies.org), with a hard or an electronic copy of proof of payment showing the full name of the student and the student identification number within 15 days of fund transfer for issuance of payment receipt. Absence of this information may delay crediting the fees reflected on your account in our system.
13 Parents are responsible for ensuring that the fee payments are made into the correct bank account of the Academy. In the unlikely event of any change in bank account details, the changes will be communicated to parents in writing via a hand delivered letter from the Academy.
14 If a student wishes to leave the Academy, one term’s advance notice of withdrawal must be given in writing or one term’s worth of the annual fees will be due and payable. School clearance will not be possible until any outstanding dues are settled in full.
15 The Academy reserves the right to withhold results, school certificates, transcripts or any other information and/or documents until all outstanding dues are settled in full.
16 Admitted students, who demonstrate financial need and duly fill in and submit the application along with required supporting documents within the stipulated time, can be considered for financial aid. An independent financial aid committee is responsible for reviewing and approving any request for financial aid by students.
17 The above terms and conditions may be modified or new terms may apply to reflect changes in the law or our services. For further information, please contact us at admissions.hyderabad@agakhanacademies.org.
18 Please note that fee structures are subject to annual review.
Faculty Development
Promoting excellence in teaching, both on campus and more broadly, is a fundamental goal of the Aga Khan Academies.
The effort to establish a Professional Development Centre (PDC) at each Academy is one of the outstanding features of the network. The PDC aims to strengthen the profession of teaching in the region by providing substantial professional learning opportunities and modelling highly effective educational practice.
Developing strength in teaching
The Academies aim to identify and develop teachers of the highest quality who are committed to both the all-round development of young people and to their own professional excellence. The Academy PDCs support excellence by striving to model best practices in teaching and learning within all of its classes and by providing high quality development opportunities for all Academy teachers.
Faculty members are also enriched by opportunities to work collaboratively with more experienced colleagues from around the globe and to teach abroad within the Aga Khan Academies network.
Investing in teachers
In addition to a broad programme of professional development for faculty and staff, the Academy PDCs offer substantial programmes under their Professional Learning for Educators Series (PLES) for teachers in local government, independent and not-for profit schools.
The PLES programmes are specifically designed by the Aga Khan Academies to respond to the needs of teachers, as identified through extensive market research and dialogue with government officials and education departments.
The series includes programmes for teachers in various subject areas as well as specialised programmes focussing on the skills and capabilities required for effective teaching.
Each programme builds professional competence by focussing equally on enhancing teachers’ subject knowledge and on how best to teach that subject. Each provides participants with a balance of intensive facilitated learning activities followed by an extended period of assisted application and observation within the context of their own classrooms.
To read about participants' experience of these programmes, click here.
"In this ambition, we are heartened by an important new World Bank study which indicates that it is not the quantity of time or money that leads to educational success, but rather the quality of specific educational experiences. The stimulus provided by extraordinary teachers and exceptional companions is most important."
The Statesman: The Sweet Taste of Success
That the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad practices what it preaches was more than evident from the offers that tied in with its first annual graduating ceremony writes Anindita Chowdhury.
Grade 10 student selected for state football team
Congratulations to Advait Surana, a residential student from Hyderabad, who will participate in a national-level football tournament from 25th August in Delhi as a new member of Telangana's U-15 team!
Ultimate Frisbee fun begins - 1 November 2016
150 students from grades 7 & 8 will be introduced to this emerging sport through special training sessions with national team coaches and Hyderabad's top player!
Aga Khan Music Initiative performance
Highlights from the Aga Khan Music Initiative's performance at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad.
Photos by Nabil Patel
Careers session by University of Montreal on nursing – 2:30pm Wednesday 12 April
Information session for grade 10 & 11 students on opportunities for youth empowerment and careers in nursing by Sandrine Chauveau, currently interning at Apollo College of Nursing, Hyderabad.
