Student Exchange 2019 Gallery: Mombasa students in Hyderabad
Student Exchange 2019 Gallery: Mombasa students in Hyderabad
From September to November 2019, 35 students from the Aga Khan Academies in Hyderabad and Mombasa will be taking place in the Student Exchange Programme.
Through their weekly student blogs and photo galleries, follow these students' journey of discovery and see them experience a new culture, make new friends and gain a deeper insight into themselves and the world they live in – as they spend three months at a whole new campus!
Calendar
Click the link below to download a copy of the academic calendar for 2023-24.
Academic Calendar 2023-2024.pdf
DATE |
Events |
1 August 2023-15 December 2023 |
TERM I |
8 January 2024-31 May 2024 |
TERM II |
School Holidays |
|
| 14 October-29 October 2023 | October Break |
| 16 December 2023-7 January 2024 | Winter Break |
| 1 March 2024-12 March 2024 | March Break |
|
|
|
18 May 2024 |
Graduation |
National/Festival Holidays |
|
| 15 August 2023 | Independence Day |
| 2 October 2023 | Gandhi Jayanthi |
| 12 and 13 November 2023 | Diwali |
| 26 January 2024 | Republic Day |
Residential students' return at the start of the term: |
|
30 July 2023 |
New students |
31 July 2023 |
Existing students |
Residential students' departure at the end of the academic year: |
|
18 May 2024 |
DP2 students are expected to leave the Academy |
31 May 2024 |
Grade 6-11 students are expected to leave the Academy |
Samantha Caras: Pioneering new approaches to University Counselling
Samantha Caras is from Southern California in the United States and has worked as a University Counsellor at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa for four years. Her budding journey first began in India where she worked as an Academy Fellow for a year at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad supporting the leadership curriculum, helping out with college essay writing and teaching yoga before embarking on her role as a University Counsellor.
During her five years with the Academies, Samantha said her work changed the trajectory of her professional and personal life.
“It showed me that small opportunities, like being sent to a conference can change the course of your life,” Samantha said.
After being mentored in AKA Hyderabad, Samantha set out on a whirlwind experience at AKA Mombasa as a full-time University Counsellor.
“Coming to Mombasa has been exciting because I was able to have a lot of ownership over my work and could structure the office however I wanted,” Samantha said. “The flexibility and creative license I was given allowed me to build and restructure the university counselling programme to fit the diverse needs of our students.” She also said she enjoyed being immersed in many cultures, owing to the diversity of the school, and making friends from all over the world has helped her gain an overseas family for life.
Samantha said what she will miss the most is working closely with the students on their essays, being a part of High-achieving, Low-income (HALI) Access Network (an association of non-profit organisations in Africa that work with high-achieving, low-income students to access international higher education opportunities) and living in beautiful Mombasa. She also said she’s learnt quite a lot professionally, especially about the role of culture and background in higher-education advising.
During her time and position at the Academy, Samantha achieved quite a lot. On a personal level, she managed to finish her Master of Education in International Counselling Psychology, after which she got Minal Shah, the head of student support and well-being, to help her out with a professional internship. For the University Counselling office, Samantha managed to change the structure of the programme to include weekly lessons on topics such as writing a resume; professional communication; writing college essays; mock admissions game; applying for financial aid and scholarships; money matters; budgeting and cost of living abroad; adjusting to life after the Academy; and developed the presentations for these lessons. She also applied for the Academy to become a member of the HALI Access Network, which has increased its visibility and given it access to numerous resources and scholarship opportunities for the Talent Identification programme students over the past four years. Additionally, she contributed to the early drafts of what is now the University Counselling Handbook for the Academies network, set up the office’s social media page on Facebook, and worked with USA-based Ismaili volunteers to develop a sustainable standardised assessment test (SAT) programme for college admissions.
Minal describes Samantha as a warm, open and candid individual who worked well with the students.
“Samantha has built significant bonds with the students she’s worked with,” Minal said. “She always encouraged and pushed the students, who always appreciated her patience, honesty and sense of humour. I will miss working with her and her enthusiasm of making things right for the students. She will be a wonderful addition to any institution she joins.”
For her next plans, Samantha said she will be moving to Quito, Ecuador to work as the college counsellor at an international school.
“It was a difficult decision to leave Mombasa and the Academies, but I am excited for the new experience and to work on my Spanish language skills again,” Samantha said.
“Creating leaders”: Impact of an Aga Khan Schools education
During his time at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Ham Serunjogi (Class of 2012) – CEO and co-founder of African fintech giant Chipper Cash – realised the importance of staying connected to something larger than himself and giving back to the world. This fuelled his remarkable success, and recently, the Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree was selected to serve as an advisor to the US President on African diaspora engagement.
“A big part of it was that I was in the residential programme,” Ham says. “My roommates and my house parents were a central part of my experience; they practically became family to me.”
Originally from Uganda, Ham became a part of the Academy’s residential programme, where students in Grades 6-12 from around the world live on campus and participate in different activities and leadership opportunities.
“The group of friends I had on the floor we lived on,” he continues, “I value those friendships deeply.”
Ham credits his dorm parent, Mr Bardai, as a large part of his amazing experience at the Academy.
“Mr Bardai was absolutely the best and looked out for me,” he said. “We remain close to this day.”
Along with his residential parents, Ham fondly recalls teachers such as Mr Kassam, who incorporated meals in his English lessons as they were described in books the students read in class, which encouraged the kids to bring in their own dishes for a potluck.
“We had a really fun time in class with Mr Kassam.”
Ham also recollects his role as President of the Academy’s Student Representative Council, which allowed him to lead the secondary school students and work closely with his peers and teachers.
“The Academies as a whole aim to instil in their education the notion of creating people who are leaders that can come back and help develop their local communities,” he explains. “The idea of being a net positive contributor to society – that was something I learnt strongly.”
“The more I think back on the ways the Academy made sure we were connected to the community, with the events we did outside of the Academy with other community members, that was a key reminder to not stay in an isolated group of privileged people or with people that aren’t connected to something larger than ourselves,” he explains.
“That really resonated with my time over there.”
From Kampala to Mombasa to Iowa
After completing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme at the Academy, Ham’s journey leaped to another continent when he moved to Iowa in the US to study economics at the prestigious Grinnell College.
He was ready for the adventure, thanking his move to the Academy in Mombasa from his hometown in Kampala, Uganda as an insight into what it is like to move away.
“[My time at the Academy] was the first time in my life I lived away from home,” he says. “It was like a nice trial period before moving further away.”
“I was excited to move to Grinnell, to Iowa, for all the big and small things like seeing snow for the first time,” he reflects. “Just being around a new environment, new culture and a new group of people was very exciting.”
The creation of Chipper Cash
Following his graduation from Grinnell and a two-year stint at Meta (formerly Facebook) came a pivotal stage in Ham’s life. In 2018, he and his co-founder Maijid Moujaled established Chipper Cash, a financial technology, or fintech, company offering several products and services to people in Africa, such as local and cross-border payments, cards, stocks, airtime and data, and bill pay.
“I wanted to make an impact on my local community with what I know best,” Ham says. “I wanted to create a solution that might solve a problem for people in Uganda.”
The CEO met his co-founder at Grinnell, who wanted to create a similar solution for the people of Ghana, where he was originally from.
“It was easy to align our thinking because we wanted to start the company to check some boxes – what needs to be done and where?”
Chipper Cash now has over five million customers operating in countries including Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, Uganda and the US. It has been featured in several global financial publications as well as news channels including BBC, CNN, Quartz, Apple and Forbes, in which Ham was named as one of the honourees of the Forbes 30 Under 30 Finance List of 2023.
Serving on the US President’s advisory council
In September 2023, Ham was appointed to serve on the Inaugural President’s Advisory Council on African Diaspora Engagement in the United States. The Advisory Council is tasked to advise the US President on a range of issues, including how to strengthen relations between Africa and the US, promote trade and investment, and build educational exchanges.
“I definitely pinch myself every night just to make sure I’m not dreaming,” he laughs. “If you’d ask me at any point in my life if I would ever be an advisor to the US President, there’s no way I’d have thought that’s possible.”
Ham highlights what he is most excited about for his role as an advisor.
“One, it’s an incredible group of people to be a part of,” he says. “And two, in today’s world, Africa is the fastest growing continent and they’re strong partners with the US. We will help advise the President to form policy and help drive US-African relations and investment further.”
“Policy is going to affect billions of people, and if we do our job well, we’ll make a positive impact on the world. If that’s all I ever do in my life, I’ll be very happy with myself.”
Giving back to the Academy
Ham feels fortunate to be in a position where he can give back to the place that started it all. The alumnus consistently provides the Academy in Mombasa with support by coming back to address graduates, creating videos and content to promote the Academy, or even donating to support current and future students.
“It’s a special place to me,” Ham describes. “I was fortunate enough to give the 2021 graduation commencement address, and the theme of my remarks was the realisation of the opportunities I’ve been lucky to receive, and the best way to repay them is to help repair the world.”
Fee Schedule
Fee Schedule for the 2024-2025 Academic Year.
Please click here to download the 2024-2025 Academic Year Fee Schedule (PDF format)
The above fees are applicable for the Academic year 2024-2025 and are subject to an annual review.
The Tuition fees include course fees, the use of essential course books, library books, co-curricular activities, IT infrastructure, science laboratory equipment, day trips, and certain classroom supplies.
The Residential fee in addition to the tuition fee also includes housing, weekend excursions and activities, laundry, and meals.
Notes
1. Miscellaneous Charges
1.1 Non-Refundable Admission Fee. Payable for students enrolling for the first time. The admission fee must be paid to secure a place for a child in the Academy.
This cannot be deferred or paid in instalments. The due date is one week after the offer has been accepted.
1.2 Refundable Security Deposit. Around 10% of the fees are payable on acceptance of admission and
should be paid together with the admission fee mentioned above. As the Security Deposit is different between
the PYP, MYP and DP, the differential will be invoiced when the child is transferred from PYP to MYP and from
MYP to DP. It is refundable when a student leaves the school 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.
1.3 Good Faith Deposit. Paid for Grade 1, Grade 11 day students and all residential students to secure their
place, as part payment against their first Semester fee, due to limited capacity. This will have to be paid as soon
as the admission of the student is accepted for new joiners (including Grade 1)students and before 30 April for the
Grade 11 Students. All other residential students will pay the Good Faith deposit together with the Admissions Fee.
In the event that the student does not join the Academy, this deposit will not be refunded.
1.4 Lunch. The rates indicated above are applicable only if paid in advance at least for a whole semester
(50% of the total cost). The daily lunch rate is KES 400 for MYP and DP students and KES 350 for PYP students.
1.5 Medical Insurance Premium. Paid separately by residential students with the first tuition fee instalment.
1.6 Stipend. Paid separately by residential students and will be managed by the Academy. The students will be
able to withdraw a maximum KES 500 per week to cover any personal expenses. Any balance with the Academy will
be paid to the students at the end of the Academic Year.
2. Tuition
2.1 Sibling Discount. 5% is applicable for the second child, 10% for the third child, and 15% for the fourth and subsequent children. The discount will be adjusted according to the number of
children attending the Academy at the same time. This discount is not applicable where a family is receiving financial assistance.
2.2 Tuition Fee. Academic Year 2024-2025 fees are payable in two equal instalments (for each Semester), no later than 15 July 2024
and 15 December 2024.
2.3 Discount of 3% will be given on the tuition fees if paid for the whole year before the deadline (15 July 2024). These discounts
are applicable on the net amount payable after other discounts have been deducted and is not applicable to the families who receive
financial assistance.
2.4 AKDN Discount. AKDN employees, upon confirmation with any of the AKDN agencies, will get the following discount:
20% for residential students and 5% for any day students.
2.5 Currency. The fees can be paid in US dollars or Kenyan Shillings. The US Dollars fees will be indicated on the invoice using the exchange rate at which the banks are buying USD from the Academy. The Academy however reserves the right to change this policy.
3. Late and Outstanding Fees
3.1 A monthly surcharge of 3% will be added to the total outstanding dues older than 30 days.
3.2 If fees are not paid within one month’s period following the deadline, the student will be asked to stay at home or in the residences and will not be allowed to attend classes or participate in the other activities undertaken by the Academy. If the fees for the residential students are not settled within 2 weeks following the student being withdrawn from classes, the school may send the student back home. Any student who is out of classes for over 4 weeks could be asked to withdraw from school.
3.3 The Academy reserves the right to withhold results, school certificates, transcripts, or any other information and/or document until all outstanding dues are settled in full.
4. Financial Assistance
Newly admitted students who demonstrate financial needs can apply for Financial Assistance
through the Admissions office immediately after the admission has been confirmed. All current
students have to submit their applications before 8 March, 2024. An independent Committee is
responsible for reviewing and approving any request for Financial Assistance.
5. Withdrawal
If a student wishes to leave the Academy, three months’ advance notice of withdrawal must be given in writing and if not done the pro-rated three months' fees will be due and payable. School clearance will not be possible until any outstanding dues are settled in full.
6. Other Education-related costs
6.1 Field Trips. Students are expected to participate in compulsory curriculum and bonding trips as well as optional trips, for which the parents will be invoiced separately. Information on these field trips will be shared with parents at least one month in advance.
6.2 Exam fees. MYP and Diploma will be billed separately based on actual fees from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).
6.3 Personal Computer. MYP and DP students are required to own a personal computer that meets minimum performance standards as most of the assignments as well as the communication between the teachers and the students are computer-based. The system should be loaded with either iOS or Windows, MS Office, Internet browser, and Antivirus.
7. General Notes Regarding Payment
7.1 The Academy does not accept cash for fee payments.
7.2 All payments must be made by direct bank deposit, bank transfer, or M-pesa even if payment is made by a third party such as a sponsoring organisation.
7.3 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 the bank account, the changes will be communicated to parents in writing via a hand-delivered letter from the Academy.
7.4 Parents must provide the finance office (mba-bursar@agakhanacademies.org), with a hard or an electronic copy of the proof of payment showing the full name of the student and Student Identification Number as soon as the funds have been transferred for issuance of payment receipt. The absence of this information may delay crediting the fees reflected on your account in our system.
7.5 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 mba-bursar@agakhanacademies.org
8. Note on disclosure and sharing of student-related data and information:
Schools will store and may disclose and share information such as a student's name, address, telephone number, date and place of birth, honours and awards, exam papers and other works of the student, parents’ contact and other details, fees charged and outstanding fees against the student, and dates of attendance with third parties as and where is required for the normal operations of the school. The fees-related information can be shared with third parties to assist the school to collect fees where the payments have been delayed and not made for the services provided as per the above term.
Fee Schedule
Fee schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Click here to download the AKA Dhaka fee schedule for the 2024-2025 academic year.
* Residential facilities will not be available in 2024-2025.
Fees Policy
1) All students are required to pay the Academy fees on a timely basis.
2) On first joining, students must pay the admission fees (non-refundable), tuition fee and caution money deposit (refundable) in advance, prior to attending the Academy, by the designated date.
3) Students are required to pay tuition and transport fees (if eligible) based on the invoice issued through BEFTN or direct deposit at the bank.
4) School bus transport cancellation must be given 2 months prior to the cancellation date. Otherwise, 2 months’ transport fees will be deducted from the deposit.
5) Field trips and any other such off-campus educational experiences which are not included as part of the compulsory curriculum are charged as and when the same is conducted.
6) Exam fees for the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) will be billed separately based on the actual fee charged by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and other related and incidental expenses.
7) Payments made after the due date are considered to be late.
8) Late fee payment: Fees not paid by the due date will incur a late fee penalty of 2% per month on the outstanding balance at the end of the month.
9) The Aga Khan Academy Dhaka will send two reminders to the parent, requesting full payment of all fees due (along with late fines if applicable). The parents are responsible for ensuring that the Academy has their updated and functional email address.
10) If the payment is not made within the stipulated time of the first reminder, the following actions will be taken for non-payment:
· Students shall be removed from ManageBac.
· If payment is not received in the next 7 days of the above action, the child shall not be allowed to attend classes.
· If the payment is not received in the next 7 days of the above action, the child will be de-enrolled from the Academy.
11) In the case of a student being de-enrolled or expelled, no fees will be refunded except for the caution money deposit.
12) The Academy retains the right to set off or adjust dues from the caution money deposit or any other amounts the family owes to the Academy.
13) Claims for refund of caution money deposit are to be made in writing, using the required form, within one year of the date of leaving the Academy.
14) The Academy reserves the right to withhold results, school certificates, transfer certificates, transcripts, university referrals or any other information and/or documents if fees or any other dues payable to the Academy are outstanding or not paid in the directed manner.
15) The board of directors of the Aga Khan Education Service, Bangladesh, reserves the right to change these rules anytime if necessary.
16) Student withdrawals and notices:
· The communication of withdrawal by the parent for the beginning of the next academic year must
be sent to the respective school principal's office by 3 March of the due academic year.
· If the communication is received after 31 March, the withdrawing student's full first-term
fee for the next academic year must be paid.
· If the withdrawal is to take place in the middle of the academic year, the Academy requires 90
days' written notice prior to the beginning of the next term.
· If the withdrawal application is not received 90 days before the beginning of the next term
· The communication of withdrawal by the parent for the beginning of the next academic year must be sent to the respective school principal's office by 31 March of the current academic year.
then the following charges shall apply:
(a) 60-89 days before the start of the next term, will be charged 25% of the next term's fees.
(b) 30-59 days before the start of the next term, will be charged 50% of the next term's fees.
(c) Less than 30 days before the start of the next term, will be charged 75% of the next term's fees.
(d) No refund on the next term's fee shall be given after the start of the next term.
(e) The start of the term is defined as the day on which classes begin as per the official calendar shared with the parent.
Please note that any parent making payments through the BEFTN option must send their payment receipt to finance.dhaka@agakhanacademies.org every time they make a payment; otherwise, the Academy will be unable to credit the student’s account.
Early Years students learn about Inquiry with Zeezee the Wizard
Students from across the Academies network participate in inaugural Climate and Environment Conference
World Mental Health Day: Nurturing students and their well-being
Partnerships
Each Aga Khan Academy benefits from the combined experience of the network of Academies as well as from partnerships with other global networks and institutions. These linkages enable the development and support of world-class standards of excellence.
Aga Khan Development Network
The Aga Khan Academies are one of the key education programmes of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), whose institutions are engaged in a wide array of development initiatives.
AKDN draws on over a century of experience in education from pre-primary to tertiary levels, and includes more than 240 schools and two universities. Students and faculty at each Aga Khan Academy are able to access the intellectual and programmatic resources of AKDN institutions, including the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia, the Aga Khan Education Services, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The Academies also work in close partnership with AKDN institutions and programmes around the world to provide practical experience opportunities through internships for students and alumni.
Other leading institutions
The Aga Khan Academies have established formal partnerships with governments, universities and other leading organisations to ensure high standards of practice and foster innovation. Some of the areas that Academies’ partnerships support include best practices in teaching and learning, innovative approaches to teacher education, development of quality campus facilities, supplementary education opportunities for students and access to higher education for talented Academies graduates in need. The Academies have also established partnerships with Ministries and Departments of Education to help strengthen education provision in the countries where our schools are located. Current partners include:
Agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network | International Baccalaureate | Government of Ontario, Canada | Agence Française de Développement | The University of British Columbia Concordia University | California State University, Northridge | Ryerson University | Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kenya | Ministry of Education and Human Development, Mozambique | Department of School Education, Telangana, India
In addition, the Academies collaborate with a number of schools and other organisations locally and internationally in areas of mutual interest and to share knowledge and experience.
The IB network
AKDN has a formalised relationship with the International Baccalaureate (IB) through a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations.
As IB World Schools, the Academies are closely linked to a network of dynamic IB institutions in over 125 countries, united by a common vision for education and global standards. Guided and facilitated by the IB, this network uses face-to-face conferences and workshops as well as technology to enable teachers and school leaders to gain from each other's experience and to share projects and initiatives.
Ensuring world-class standards
Being connected to these global networks and institutions enables the Academies to test and validate their standards of excellence. These partnerships contribute to the quality of the curriculum and professional development programmes, and ensure that the Academies maintain and enhance their high international standing.
