Aga Khan Schools celebrates Class of 2025 graduates
The ceremonies – held for the Aga Khan Academy, Nairobi; Aga Khan Academy Dhaka; Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad; Aga Khan Academy Maputo; and Aga Khan Academy Mombasa – brought together friends, families, staff, alumni and partners. They were also live-streamed to an international audience of over 23,000 viewers, and included performances from students and staff, heartfelt moments and keynote addresses.
Most significantly, the keynote speakers of the ceremonies included Dr Graham Carr, President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University; Dr Wameq A Raza, Senior Health Specialist at the World Bank; Meaghan Blight, President of Wesleyan College; Dr Salimo Abdula, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Intelec Holdings; and Dr Barry Craig, President of Huron University.
Since 2010, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has had a partnership with Concordia University. Through this, 18 undergraduate scholarships have been awarded to AKS graduates so far, totalling $2.6 million. Currently, 15 former AKS students are pursuing their undergraduate studies at the university.
“The Academy taught me resilience and a deep sense of responsibility to serve – to lead with purpose and to contribute meaningfully to my community,” said Tamara Werle, a Class of 2020 graduate of the Academy in Mombasa and recipient of the scholarship, who has returned home to work with the Aga Khan Education Service, Kenya after completing her undergraduate degree. “It’s a vision I carry forward, inspired by a legacy of education that empowers individuals to uplift the societies they come from.”
Additionally, the Aga Khan Academies’ Professional Development Centres in Kenya and Bangladesh have collaborated with local teachers in rural and urban areas to deliver training programmes as part of the Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (KIX) initiative to provide quality education to students in lower-income countries.
These training programmes have been implemented in 173 government schools, supporting teachers to use Concordia University’s Learning Toolkit+, which is a suite of technology-based tools aimed to develop early literacy, early numeracy, information literacy and self-regulated learning. Concordia University works in close partnership with the Aga Khan Academies, Wilfred Laurier University and World Vision to develop early years literacy and numeracy in East Africa and South Asia.
“By introducing a low-cost, lightweight technology solution to support early literacy acquisition, we have empowered learners, teachers and parents alike,” said Dr Maina WaGioko, Head of the Professional Development Centre at the Academy in Mombasa. “Its simplicity allows it to run even on older computers, making it accessible in remote and marginalised communities. This ease of use has levelled the playing field – delivering the same literacy gains across genders, regions and socio-economic divides. Technology, in this case, has truly been an equaliser.”
Additionally, AKS has had partnerships with Huron University and Wesleyan College since 2021 and 2024, respectively, offering full-tuition and partial scholarships to IB students. Currently, 11 students are pursuing their undergraduate studies at the universities.
During their time as students, the Class of 2025 has not only excelled academically but has also actively participated in a wide range of co-curricular and extracurricular activities. From arts and sports to community service and environmental initiatives, these graduates have demonstrated their commitment to personal growth, social responsibility and making a positive impact on society.
One example can be seen with the graduating class at the Academy in Mombasa and their efforts toward the student-led service project “Ocean Eyes”, which focuses on marine conservation in the coastal areas around the city. This year, the initiative was awarded the IB Global Youth Action Fund, which includes a grant of $3,700. This will allow the students to implement a three-phase coral restoration cycle with three partner schools along the coast of Kilifi, planting over 11,750 juvenile corals to rehabilitate the local reef ecosystem. Additionally, the project received this year’s AISA GISS Service Learning Award for the most outstanding service group in Africa, which also came with a $2,500 prize to support the project’s efforts.
“A life of service, caring for others – everybody I know that lives that kind of life is a happy person,” Dr Craig said. “This amazing school has… given you this amazing academic and intellectual preparation, but all along the way, you’ve also heard the message of service and caring for others. You’ve all been given a tremendous gift. From this day forward, you’re going to go out those doors and now you’ve got a job, and your job is to share that gift that is you – that educated person that’s learned how to care for others, your job is to share that gift with the rest of the world.”
Graduates from the Class of 2025 earned admission offers from prestigious universities around the world, including Tufts University, Imperial College London, the University of Central Asia, McGill University, Aga Khan University, SOAS University and The University of Hong Kong. Additionally, the graduates were collectively awarded over $14 million in scholarships.
The Aga Khan Schools remains committed to nurturing students who are pluralistic and grounded in service, leadership and a global outlook. The Class of 2025 now embarks on the next phase of their journey, ready to make a meaningful impact across the globe.
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