Prior to opening the Lower Junior School in August 2013, the Aga Khan Academy, Maputo will be offering a series of English language programmes. The programmes will start in February 2013 and run until the end of March 2013.

Prior to opening the Lower Junior School in August 2013, the Aga Khan Academy in Maputo will be offering a series of English language programmes. They will start in February 2013 and run until the end of March 2013.

The programmes are for children, aged between 4 and 8 years old, who wish to improve their English language ability prior to applying for admission to the Academy in August 2013.  Throughout there will be a strong emphasis on communicative language development, but the programme will also include the development of reading and writing skills.

Dates for the programmes:

• Programme 1 – 25 February to 1 March
• Programme 2 – 18 Mar to 22 March
• Programme 3 – 25 Mar to 29 March

The day will begin at 0900 and finish at 1500.  We regret that spaces are limited to 20 children per week, so please register early. Note that children can only be registered for one programme during this time and admission will be subject to an interview with the Academic Director.

The programmes will be located in an existing building in Moztex, Matola, while the main Academy is being built on a site nearby.

• For further information, please contact Lee Davis, Director of Academic Planning and Development (lee.davis@akdn.org).

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.