Pinto Belo João: A determined teacher and a collaborative planner
“Being a teacher is not easy, because we have to teach and learn every day. I chose a career in teaching because I like to share what I know with others, especially young people, to help them to overcome the challenges in life. Being a teacher is like taking care of something special, so I decided to take care of that special thing, walking together in order to discover the world around us.”
Pinto Belo João is a grade 2 teacher at the Aga Khan Academy in Maputo. Born in Maputo, Mozambique, Pinto attended a teacher training course in Matola in 2007 where he became a primary teacher and then attended Pedagogical University in 2011 to study education. He came to the Academy as part of the Teacher Preparation Programme (TPP), which was established by the Aga Khan Academies to train recent teacher graduates to become International Baccalaureate (IB) teachers.
“Honestly I didn’t know many things about the Academy before I joined, but I always was eager to learn and grow professionally,” says Pinto. Through the Aga Khan Academy, Pinto says he has grown professionally in terms of learning new approaches to teaching and learning, trying new things and giving himself a chance to learn more. “Through professional development, the Academy helped me become a more effective teacher and a collaborative planner,” he says proudly.
For Pinto, the most rewarding aspect of the Aga Khan Academy is teaching while surrounded by experts. This environment has given him the opportunity to try new things and granted him time to reflect on teaching strategies. This has been both valuable and powerful for Pinto as it allowed him to share experiences related to classes and receive guidance and support from others. What Pinto really likes about the Academy is the integration of the Aga Khan Curricular Strands. “In my opinion these Strands make us unique and different from others,” he says.
Reflecting on enlightening experiences at the Academy, Pinto narrates a particular day when he was teaching mathematics through games. He says that while he was giving instructions on how to play the game he was surprised to see the students already playing the game before he could even finish explaining. “I learned something that day: we should never underestimate our students. Sometimes we think that we have to teach something, but the students already know it. We need to be careful in our approaches,” Pinto remarks.
In this way, Pinto has learnt profoundly from his students and feels that the teacher-student relationship, reinforced by trust, is of the utmost importance. “We need to establish trust so that the process runs toward success both inside and outside the classroom,” he says.
Relationships in the classroom must also involve parents – Pinto knows the importance and necessity of parental involvement in the education of their children. He regularly updates the parents about what they do in class and about their school trips – he also ensures that he shows parents the newsletter with stories of learning from the classroom. Some of the homework Pinto assigns includes parent personal experiences that they can share with their children.
At the Academy, Pinto says they try as much as they can to involve all students in activities and give each of them a role in groups to make them appreciate each other’s abilities. “By promoting activities like social community, [this] makes the students reflect on their own actions,” he remarks. Pinto explains that students come from different backgrounds and nationalities and that this is what makes the residential environment multicultural and promotes pluralism. When the students are exposed to this environment, Pinto says, “They learn more from each other and respect diversity. It is a great experience for them.” Ensuring a climate of pluralism on campus is not an easy task, Pinto says. “But through student’s responsibilities, we can ensure that they are working together.”
Contact the Aga Khan Academy Maputo
Contact Us
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo
Av. do Zimbabué, 212, Matola “A”
Maputo, Moçambique
Telephone:
- Academy reception: (+258) 853 016 339
- Junior School secretary: (+258) 853 036 210
- Senior School secretary: (+258) 845 306 375
Email:
- Admissions: admissions.maputo@agakhanacademies.org
- Junior School secretary: js.secretary.maputo@agakhanacademies.org
- Senior School secretary: ss.secretary.maputo@agakhancademies.org
Primary Years Programme
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo has been accredited as an IB World School for the Primary Years Programme (Grades K–5).
Foundations for lifelong learning
The Primary Years Programme focuses on the development of the whole child. It is geared towards creating independent, confident and respectful learners.
Our classroom curriculum and after-school activities address 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
- action.
The core subjects we cover include English language, mathematics, science and technology, and social studies. Our programme also includes a beginning computing course, physical education, music, art, French and Portuguese.
Students and teachers explore questions in all subject areas using an interactive, student-centred approach. The knowledge element of the curriculum is enhanced by six themes that are studied across the various subject disciplines. These are:
- who we are
- where we are in place and time
- how we express ourselves
- how the world works
- how we organise ourselves
- sharing the planet.
The PYP 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 or contact us to find out more about applying to the PYP at the Academy.
AKA Maputo Literacy Slam
A Literacy Slam will occur on 8 March. Parents are invited to attend this event with their friends and family. For more details, contact school secretaries.
AKA Maputo construction July 2017
July 2017 video showing progress on the construction of the Aga Khan Academy Maputo's campus.
History
In 2000, His Highness the Aga Khan initiated a programme to establish an integrated network of schools, known as Aga Khan Academies. The aim of the Academies is to provide education to deserving students at an international standard of excellence.
The Aga Khan Academies are part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which has been involved in education in developing countries for decades. AKDN agencies currently run more than 240 schools and educational programmes ranging from early childhood through to post-graduate education.
Establishment of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
In 2003, the first of the Aga Khan Academies was established in the Kizingo area of Mombasa, Kenya. The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is a state-of-the-art learning institution recognised as an International Baccalaureate World School.
The campus design was inspired by Swahili architecture. Our campus sits on an 18-acre piece of land that includes a residential facility, a sports complex, classrooms, resources areas and common areas.
The Academy was inaugurated in 2003 as a day school by His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, the President of Kenya, in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan. The residential programme officially began in April 2009.
His Highness the Aga Khan visits the Academy in Mombasa
We pride ourselves on having a multicultural student body, which excels not only in academic pursuits, but also in sports, cultural activities and community initiatives. Our programme has already proved successful, with our students achieving strong academic results. In 2007, we saw our first International Baccalaureate Diploma graduates obtain acceptance as well as scholarships from top post-secondary institutions worldwide.
The Academies network
The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa will be part of a network of approximately 18 planned Aga Khan Academies that will form an interconnected learning community.
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, India was the second to open in 2011, and the third opened in 2013 in Maputo, Mozambique. Others are at various stages of planning and development (map).
The work of the Academies is also enhanced through partnerships with other international educational institutions. These include the International Baccalaureate network, the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia and other agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network.
History
In 2000, His Highness the Aga Khan initiated a programme to establish an integrated network of schools, known as the Aga Khan Academies. The aim of the Academies is to provide education to deserving students at an international standard of excellence.
The Aga Khan Academies are part of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which has been involved in education in developing countries for decades. AKDN agencies currently run more than 240 schools and educational programmes ranging from early childhood through to post-graduate education.
In 2003 the first Academy was established in the Kizingo area of Mombasa, Kenya. A facility inspired by Swahili architecture, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa is a state-of-the-art learning institution. It is recognised as an International Baccalaureate World School. The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad was the second to open in 2011, and the third opened in 2013 in Maputo, Mozambique.
Establishment of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad
Construction of the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad began in 2006. The first intake of students was in August 2011 for the Junior School and 2012 for the Senior School, including the residential programme. The Academy has been accredited as an International Baccalaureate World School for the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes. The first class of the Senior School’s Diploma Programme graduated in 2014.
The Academy's Professional Development Centre (PDC) began operating in July 2010, prior to the opening of the school. The first programme offered by the PDC was a series on Professional Learning for Educators. These are collaborative courses designed by the Aga Khan Academies with input from government and educational experts. Their aim is to improve the education of both students and teachers within the region.
A global learning community
As further Aga Khan Academies are established, the vision is for them to become an interconnected network of schools that form a global learning community. The work of the Academies is also enhanced through partnerships with other educational institutions and the agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network.
History
In 2000, His Highness the Aga Khan initiated the establishment of the Aga Khan Academies, an integrated network of schools dedicated to expanding access to the highest standard of education.
The Aga Khan Academies is a part of the Aga Khan Schools, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is chaired by His Highness the Aga Khan. The AKDN has a long history of involvement in education in countries of the developing world, with the first schools having been founded in 1905 in Mundra (India), Zanzibar (Tanzania) and Gwadar (Pakistan). Currently, the Aga Khan Schools operate 200 schools, eight hostels and more than 100 non-formal educational programme centres ranging from early childhood through to post-graduate education.
Establishment of the academies
In 2003, the first Aga Khan Academy opened in Kenya on an 18-acre site in the Kizingo area of Mombasa. The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa has already established a highly successful track record, with its students placing among the top tier worldwide in academic performance.
The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad in India is the second to be established and opened with its first intake of students in August 2011. As with all the Aga Khan Academies, the Academy in Hyderabad selects students of all socio-economic backgrounds who show promise in academic and other areas, and who demonstrate good character and serious intent.
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo in Mozambique opened in August 2013. In August 2022, the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka in Bangladesh opened.
Future academies
The other Academies are at different stages in the planning and development process.
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo: From Vision to Reality (Portuguese subtitles)
The Aga Khan Academy Maputo is committed to developing future leaders by delivering Excellence in Education. We offer merit-based admission to our International Baccalaureate (IB) programme at our purpose-built world-class campus in Maputo, Mozambique. Watch our newly released video to learn more about our unique offering.
AKA Maputo Construction Diary March 2019
See the latest construction progess at the Aga Khan Academy Maputo campus.
