The Aga Khan Academies are an integrated network of about 18 residential schools in 14 countries in Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Middle East. They are dedicated to expanding access to the highest standard of education for exceptional young men and women, regardless of their ability to pay.

The Academies are more than just residential schools that strive to give their students a sound academic foundation. Each school emphasises the importance of academic excellence while instilling in students a sense of civic responsibility, leadership skills, and the desire, ability, and commitment to give back to their communities locally and globally.

The Academies are grounded in an educational approach that measures success not just by academic achievement, but by how students apply what they know to make the world a better place.

Students receive a grounding in ethics and also develop openness towards difference and acceptance of pluralism by living in diverse communities. As the network of Academies develops, both students and teachers will participate in visits and exchanges to Academies in other countries and regions.

Aims of the Academies programme

Our programme aims to:

• build inquiring, tolerant and creative minds
• empower gifted individuals, including girls, to innovate and lead
• over time, educate a cohort of well-trained local leaders with a sound ethical outlook and great intellectual capacity
• establish a global learning community across diverse geographic, social, economic, religious and tribal boundaries by providing needs-blind and merit-based admissions
• develop highly trained and effective educators
• positively influence education broadly across the targeted regions of the world, with measurable impact.

“The Aga Khan Academies aim to create ethical leaders with a strong sense of civic responsibility who will go on to the best universities in the world, pursue careers of their choice and…become leaders in the governments and the institutions of civil society in their own countries, in international organisations and in all those institutions, academic, economic and artistic that create positive change in our world.”

His Highness the Aga Khan (Mombasa, December 2003)

Embedded in our programme, the Aga Khan Curricular Strands (AK Strands) aim to strengthen understandings and outlooks needed by leaders of the future. 

They encompass five critical areas of study:

• Ethics
• Pluralism
• Cultures (with an emphasis on Muslim civilisations) 
• Governance and Civil Society
• Economics for Development.

The AK Strands examine issues of global importance and are also tailored to the cultural context of each Academy. This allows students to engage with international issues and challenges while remaining strongly grounded in their local context.

Co-curricular programmes enable students to realise their potential in a variety of settings beyond the classroom. Students develop a sense of self-awareness and an understanding of school and community needs and opportunities. They also learn how to apply their gifts and skills to make a positive impact.

At the Academy, we believe in a balanced, rounded, comprehensive school experience. As this includes both academic and co-curricular experiences, we encourage our students to do their best both in and outside the classroom.

We will offer outstanding sports facilities that will include:

• swimming and diving pools
• cricket, soccer and hockey pitches
• basketball and volleyball areas
• tennis and squash courts
• dance studio
• gymnasium
• athletics tracks. 

Children with special sporting gifts will be encouraged to develop their talents in every way. Children with special gifts in music, art or drama will similarly be encouraged through opportunities to practise and perform while at the Academy.

Our co-curricular programmes are clustered into three main streams, each with a different focus:

Creative expression

Whether through visual or performing arts, this cluster engages students to think creatively and express their identities and thoughts aesthetically. Through theatre, art, music and drama, students learn to work together and infuse their projects with values and lessons from other parts of their schooling. Individual and collaborative creative projects emphasise growth and development through personal challenge, ultimately resulting in achievable personal goals.

Action

The student as a reflective practitioner is a basic tenet of the action cluster. Through physical sport – both competitive and non-competitive – students are challenged in their physical growth, and learn values such as good sportsmanship, teamwork and ethical behaviour. We encourage them to extend themselves by trying different activities and working with teammates to pass on their knowledge. In line with developing the student as a whole, a healthy lifestyle complements and enhances academic achievement.

"The Academies will be concerned with the whole of the human being – mind, body and spirit – and with the broad range of human aspiration – intellectual, moral, artistic, physical and spiritual. The fact that these are residential academies will contribute enormously to these broad objectives, encouraging students to identify more completely with the school, to help lead it and shape its environment."

 His Highness Aga Khan (Hyderabad, September 2006)

Citizenship

At the Academy, we encourage knowledge and understanding of humanity and civil society. Through their involvement in citizenship activities, students gain an understanding of the practical implications of their work and study. By collaborating with community groups on sustainable projects, they develop an appreciation for human rights and human dignity, and of how their actions impact the world around them.

To learn more about the Academy's programme, please visit the Academic Programme page.