Salim.jpg

As the Director of Academies, I have been entrusted with His Highness’s extraordinary vision for the Academies as a global learning community, where young people develop the capacity to become future leaders of civil society.

The underlying idea of the Aga Khan Academies network is to concentrate substantial resources on those exceptional individuals – students and teachers – who have the potential to transform society. When provided with a world-class education, exceptional students from any background can achieve their significant potential and in so doing improve their lives, the lives of their families, their communities, their country and the world. 

Each Aga Khan Academy will reach out to students of all backgrounds, regardless of culture, race, religion or financial circumstance.

The Academies follow the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum, ensuring a global standard of educational excellence and external validation through the annual IB Diploma exams.

The Academies also work to enhance the quality of teaching, the base on which good education rests. Each Aga Khan Academy will provide professional development programmes for teachers and school leaders from within the Academy as well as from government and other schools.

The students in our existing Academies are already achieving exceptional results across domains spanning academics, athletics and the arts. And our alumni, many of whom attend leading universities around the world, are demonstrating a deep sense of social responsibility and a commitment to return to serve their home countries.

Ultimately, we hope that the qualities of good leadership – sound moral judgment, self-discipline, a pluralistic outlook and civic responsibility – are the qualities that will distinguish Aga Khan Academy graduates.

"Our goal, then, is not to provide special education for a privileged elite – but to provide an exceptional education for the truly exceptional." His Highness the Aga Khan (Hyderabad, September 2006)I invite you to explore our website further to learn more about the Aga Khan Academies and the unique and innovative programme they offer.

With warm wishes,

Salim A.L. Bhatia
Director of Academies

Leaving one’s home and family is a daunting task for any person, but even more so for children. However, the lure of a better education and a new adventure can provide ample motivation for students to leave everything they know and follow their dreams.

For grade nine student Asad Bogani leaving his family and friends in Dubai and traveling to India to attend the Aga Khan Academy (AKA) in Hyderabad was a personal decision rooted in a need to become his own person.

“It was something of a personal decision on my side. I really love Dubai [it is] my home, but I thought I should try something out of my comfort zone. I decided I should be on my own now and live by myself.”

The AKA has allowed students to not only have access to a world-class education but also activities that will help them with interpersonal growth. “I play football, volleyball, a bit of basketball, but my favorite sport is cricket,” says Asad, who is looking forward to playing cricket at the Academy.

Beyond extracurricular activities the students’ time is also taken up by personal chores. “There’s so many activities going on and you have your own life, like cleaning your cupboard and keeping neat; a lot of things happening as compared to my life in Dubai,” explains Asad.

Though Asad is finding lots to enjoy about his experience at the AKA there are always challenges to uprooting oneself from familiar surroundings. “My parents really miss me and I’m really missing home as well, but they’re supporting me and what I’m trying to do here,” he says.

But a little bit of homesickness is a small price to pay for a future that he will now be able to look forward to, one he hopes will mesh his love for sports, especially cricket, with his favorite subject—Mathematics.

“Maths is really fun to do. I’d love to do something related to Maths, like statistics and join it with sports, like a sports statistician, something related to cricket because that’s my love. I’d really like to combine the two of them and work towards making that as my career. After completing my diploma program here I’m aiming for university in England and onto my career.”

With ambitions and an educational foundation that will go the distance, Asad is well on his way to creating the life he’s imagined for himself.