Model United Nations (MUN) @ the Academy – 16-17 September 2016
350 students from Academy Senior School Grades 9-12 will participate in our intra Academy MUN this weekend. Opening Ceremony at 5pm, Friday. MUN program to close with a Cultural Night on Saturday.
International Careers Week at the Academy – 19-24 September 2016
An exciting week ahead with a visit from Waterloo University (Canada); 2 university fairs with 14 universities from 5 countries and 4 continents, and our first Deakin University workshop for students and counselors on Saturday 24 September. Click here to see our schedule! All enquiries to events@agakhanacademies.org
Co-curricular Programmes
Co-curricular programmes enable students to realise their potential in a variety of settings beyond the classroom. Students develop a sense of self-awareness and an understanding of school and community needs and opportunities. They also learn how to apply their gifts and skills to make a positive impact.
At the Academy, we believe in a balanced, rounded, comprehensive school experience. As this includes both academic and co-curricular experiences, we encourage our students to do their best both in and outside the classroom.
We will offer outstanding sports facilities that will include:
- swimming and diving pools
- cricket, soccer and hockey pitches
- basketball and volleyball areas
- tennis and squash courts
- dance studio
- gymnasium
- athletics tracks.
Children with special sporting gifts will be encouraged to develop their talents in every way. Children with special gifts in music, art or drama will similarly be encouraged through opportunities to practise and perform while at the Academy.
Our co-curricular programmes are clustered into three main streams, each with a different focus:
Creative Expression
Whether through visual or performing arts, this cluster engages students to think creatively and express their identities and thoughts aesthetically. Through theatre, art, music and drama, students learn to work together and infuse their projects with values and lessons from other parts of their schooling. Individual and collaborative creative projects emphasise growth and development through personal challenge, ultimately resulting in achievable personal goals.
Action
The student as a reflective practitioner is a basic tenet of the Action cluster. Through physical sport—both competitive and non-competitive—students are challenged in their physical growth, and learn values such as good sportsmanship, teamwork and ethical behaviour. We encourage them to extend themselves by trying different activities and working with teammates to pass on their knowledge. In line with developing the student as a whole, a healthy lifestyle complements and enhances academic achievement.
The Academies will be concerned with the whole of the human being—mind, body and spirit—and with the broad range of human aspiration—intellectual, moral, artistic, physical and spiritual. The fact that these are residential academies will contribute enormously to these broad objectives, encouraging students to identify more completely with the school, to help lead it and shape its environment.
The Academies will be concerned with the whole of the human being—mind, body and spirit—and with the broad range of human aspiration—intellectual, moral, artistic, physical and spiritual. The fact that these are residential academies will contribute enormously to these broad objectives, encouraging students to identify more completely with the school, to help lead it and shape its environment.
Citizenship
At the Academy, we encourage knowledge and understanding of humanity and civil society. Through their involvement in citizenship activities, students gain an understanding of the practical implications of their work and study. By collaborating with community groups on sustainable projects, they develop an appreciation for human rights and human dignity, and of how their actions impact the world around them.
To learn more about the Academy's programme, please visit the Academic Programme page.
Online learning transition photo gallery
Since 23 March 2020, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has transitioned its classes to online due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Take a look at how our students and teachers are doing with their online learning!
Educational Philosophy
Education is a creative, joyful process that engenders hope and curiosity. Through a diverse and rigorous curriculum, the Aga Khan Academies strive for the development of the whole person. Academies students will be able to contribute to and positively influence their communities. Through academic, athletic and artistic pursuits, they become lifelong learners and leaders.
Education is most relevant and inspiring when it connects young people to the world around them. By encouraging students to think flexibly and to connect their learning to real issues, the Academies build curiosity, compassion and a desire to make a difference.
The programmes of the International Baccalaureate curriculum have therefore been adapted to the specific environment of each Academy, with students developing a deep grounding in their local context alongside learning about relevant international issues and ideas.
An Academies education engenders a pluralistic and ethical approach to life and leadership.
Diverse educational experiences mean that students develop the willingness to embrace difference, and to learn from it. From the very youngest years, everyone works together to develop a sense of civic responsibility and service.
All students are encouraged to use their understanding and skills to take meaningful and sustainable action that makes a real difference to the lives of others.
"...above all, it is my hope that these schools will stimulate creativity, intellectual curiosity and honest inquiry so that their students can adapt and thrive in a world of rapid change; can make informed judgements on life’s daily challenges, and place those judgements in an ethical framework."
The Aga Khan Academy Curricular Strands
The Aga Khan Academy Curricular Strands are a unique part of the programme offered by the Aga Khan Academies. The 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, or strands, that we believe are important for our students. These are:
- Ethics
- Pluralism
- Economics for Development
- Cultures (including Muslim Cultures)
- Governance and Civil Society.
Implementing the Strands
The 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 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 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 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 Strands in Practice
The strands were developed at the first Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa and are designed to be used in different cultural contexts. Teachers from the Aga Khan Academy, Dar-es-Salaam will help tailor the strands for the local environment in Tanzania.
Through the 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, Dar-es-Salaam, please visit the Academic Programme page.
International Exchanges
As the network of Aga Khan Academies becomes established, we will offer our students the opportunity to broaden their experience through exchanges with other Academies.
The Aga Khan Academy, Dar-es-Salaam will include an international exchange programme as part of the Senior School curriculum. This will provide our students with the opportunity to study for an extended period in another of the approximately 18 (planned or currently under development) Academies in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East.
Campus Life
Students from Dar-es-Salaam who go on exchange to another Academy will live in residential facilities in a safe, secure campus setting.
Campus life is an important part of the international exchange programme. Many of the least tangible but most important elements of an education—the development of practical leadership skills, the capacity to make ethical judgments, the ability to navigate through complex cultural settings—are formed outside the classroom. Mealtimes and other informal gatherings offer opportunities for discussion, meetings, language tables and study groups.
Benefits of Study Abroad
The International Baccalaureate programme will be implemented at all Aga Khan Academies. The common curriculum will allow students to study abroad without facing uncertainties regarding compatibility of course study or examinations.
While English is the medium of instruction at all Academies, our students are required to study another language as well. Foreign language learning will be greatly enhanced by immersion in that language through the exchange programme.
Students will also learn to appreciate and respect other nationalities, cultures and intellectual traditions through direct contact with people in other countries. They will broaden their worldview and learn to be at ease in multicultural settings.
For further information on the educational programme offered at the Aga Khan Academy, Dar-es-Salaam, please visit the Academic Programme page.
Primary Years Programme
The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka is an International Baccalaureate World School and has been authorised for the Primary Years Programme (PYP).
Foundations for lifelong learning
Our PYP curriculum for students in Grades 1-5 (aged 6-11) focuses on the development of the whole child. It is geared towards creating independent, confident and respectful learners.
Our classroom curriculum addresses the children's social, physical, cultural and ethical development while giving them a strong foundation in all the major areas of knowledge.
The curriculum consists of five essential elements:
- Concepts;
- Knowledge;
- Skills;
- Attitude; and
- Action.
The core subjects we cover include English language, Bangla, mathematics, social studies, science and technology. Our programme also includes physical education, music and art. The use of Informational technology (IT) is integrated throughout the curriculum.
Students and teachers explore questions in all subject areas using an interactive, student-centred approach. This triggers students' curiosity, encouraging them to make connections with real-world issues. Students become active, autonomous learners who can take action as a result of their learning.
Our curriculum develops well-rounded students who are well-versed in all areas of knowledge. They learn to be intellectually curious, principled, caring, open-minded, well-balanced and reflective learners.
Please visit the Admission Requirements page to find out more about applying to Grades 1-5 at the Academy.
Dania Quadri (Class of 2014): Giving back as an alumna
“Being part of an open-minded community that encouraged challenging what we were taught, the willingness to accept one another and inspire each other to grow constantly, was very refreshing. I credit these experiences for much of whom I am today.”
– Dania Quadri, Class of 2014
She was also instrumental in helping to organise the Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) in September 2016.
“As I aspire to be a doctor, I feel that it is necessary to acquire experience in a role that demands care, patience and a great deal of understanding,” she explains. “I knew teaching and organising the MHAW would contribute to my personal growth and career aspirations but it would also allow me to give back to my school – something very important to me.”
Through MHAW, Dania was able to contribute to reducing the stigma associated with mental illness within the Academy community.
“As a student myself, I know how hard it is for students who are mentally unwell to cope with studies and social life at school," she said. "I wanted to spread awareness about it being perfectly normal to feel mentally unwell, to know the difference between clinical illness and just a rough emotional phase, and to encourage students to seek help and advice if they are feeling low.”
Her internship made her realise she was more passionate about education than she thought. She particularly enjoyed the responsibility an educator has in developing a student’s personality and knowledge.
“As a teacher, it was interesting to observe school from the other side," she said. "Spending time with all the teachers made me realise how much they actually care for their students. The support is incredible at the Academy and different learning abilities are not only understood but truly valued.”
Leadership in Action - Year 10
As part of the Entrepreneurship Unit of the Leadership Programme, students in each mentor group had to conceptualise and implement a socially responsible business venture. This involved several weeks of preparation including brainstorming, writing a business proposal and planning the budget.
Experiences such as these are designed to give students concrete opportunities to experiment with and develop their social entrepreneurship skills. The young entrepreneurs were highly effective in involving the local community in their projects with most products sold being sourced locally. The students also sought to get Mombasa businesses and organisations directly involved in their projects.
For example, one group created “The Water Bottle Project”, a business initiative designed to promote recycling, and worked closely with Wildliving Resources, a local organization which promotes sustainability. Another mentor group teamed up with Springbreak, an NGO promoting social entrepreneurial skills, and used more than half of the profits generated by their business to buy and donate 10 solar lights to families in the town of Mavueni who had no access to electricity.
Year 10 student, Rabia Dhanani, sums up the experience in her end of unit reflection: “[The] Leadership Programme this semester was very informative and a fun filled learning experience as well. I enjoyed the unit of social entrepreneurship mostly because it was more practical. I learnt a lot during Zawadi Bazaar because it was the time when I had to use everything I had learnt, which was awesome, and it also taught me how to diplomatically deal with customers.”
