The Academies’ programmes aim to develop students who are ethical, public-minded and who possess a pluralistic outlook. Both curricular and co-curricular activities work to educate effective home-grown leaders who are actively engaged in their local communities and are aware of the implications of their actions. Through their participation in co-curricular clubs, students are encouraged to take on leadership positions in a variety of different forms (e.g. house leaders, student council, team captains, dorm duties).

Not only do these opportunities provide an environment to explore and enhance skills such as cooperation and problem solving, they also enable students to set personal goals and challenge themselves.

Student leadership activities vary from community service opportunities to sports and expressive arts. Students have opportunities to participate in the Student Representative Council and other similar activities.

Leadership activities instil in participants a sense of community ownership, creativity and a collaborative spirit, and prepares them for a lifetime of active engagement and leadership. 

"The conviction that home-grown intellectual leadership of exceptional calibre is the best driver of a society’s destiny, underpins the Ismaili Imamat’s endeavour to create catalytic centres of educational excellence."His Highness the Aga Khan (Matola, June 2004)

As part of the Leadership Programme, the Year 10 students participated in this year’s very successful Zawadi Bazaar by running 8 socially responsible business stalls. The student-run stalls provided a diversity of products and services, from selling foods and drinks to running a curio shop and branding water bottles. The main focus was not in making a profit alone, but in ensuring that the businesses were environmentally friendly and beneficial to the community at large.

As part of the Entrepreneurship Unit of the Leadership Programme, students in each mentor group had to conceptualise and implement a socially responsible business venture.  This involved several weeks of preparation including brainstorming, writing a business proposal and planning the budget.

Experiences such as these are designed to give students concrete opportunities to experiment with and develop their social entrepreneurship skills. The young entrepreneurs were highly effective in involving the local community in their projects with most products sold being sourced locally. The students also sought to get Mombasa businesses and organisations directly involved in their projects. 

For example, one group created “The Water Bottle Project”, a business initiative designed to promote recycling, and worked closely with Wildliving Resources, a local organization which promotes sustainability. Another mentor group teamed up with Springbreak, an NGO promoting social entrepreneurial skills, and used more than half of the profits generated by their business to buy and donate 10 solar lights to families in the town of Mavueni who had no access to electricity.   

Year 10 student, Rabia Dhanani, sums up the experience in her end of unit reflection: “[The] Leadership Programme this semester was very informative and a fun filled learning experience as well. I enjoyed the unit of social entrepreneurship mostly because it was more practical. I learnt a lot during Zawadi Bazaar because it was the time when I had to use everything I had learnt, which was awesome, and it also taught me how to diplomatically deal with customers.”

The network of Aga Khan Academies has been established to provide exceptional students from all backgrounds with an outstanding education. Admissions are currently being accepted for the Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Programmes in both Mombasa and Hyderabad and for the Primary Years Programme in Maputo.     

The Academy seeks students from pre-primary through higher secondary levels representing a diverse range of economic, cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Students should have the ability and motivation to excel academically and should demonstrate leadership in community service and other co-curricular pursuits.

Selection is means-blind and competitive, based on student merit.

The Academy endeavours to meet the demonstrated financial need of each admitted student.

Candidate characteristics

The admissions committee evaluates candidates based on a range of measures and selects those demonstrating a high level of motivation and commitment to learning, a strong sense of integrity and respect for others from diverse backgrounds.

Successful applicants typically demonstrate the following characteristics:

"The students at this institution will be distinguished not only for their academic capacity, but for their character and commitment to citizenship."His Highness the Aga Khan (Dar es Salaam, March 2005)

• a record of outstanding academic achievement or potential
• highly motivated and intellectually curious
• a strong sense of integrity – the capacity to judge right and wrong and to stand up for one’s principles
• a high level of social awareness, including openness and sensitivity to those of different backgrounds
• the desire to work towards, and instigate, positive change
• leadership in community service, student government and/or sporting activities
• notable accomplishments in the visual or performing arts.

Please visit the websites of the individual Academies for further information and application forms.

The Aga Khan Academy Mombasa

The Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad

The Aga Khan Academy Maputo