Development Centres | Aga Khan Academies

The Professional Development Centre at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa provides training for teachers around Kenya to enhance their pedagogical skills.

Professional Development of Teachers

Each Academy hosts a Professional Development Centre offering learning opportunities and a supportive community to teachers throughout the region.

Continuous Development

The Academies select high-quality teachers dedicated to developing not only their students but themselves. Once they have joined the Academy family, each one is supported by the educational experts at their Professional Development Centre. Here they deepen their knowledge and are assisted to put their training into practice in the classroom.

“Not only will we need highly professional instructors, but we must also be sure that our instructors are well-instructed…. We seek not only to train the next generation of expert leaders, but also to develop a professional corps of world-class teachers.”

His Highness the Aga Khan, Foundation stone-laying ceremony, Hyderabad, India, September 2006

Developing Best Educational Practice Nationally

The Centres consult with teachers, school leaders and government education bodies to design and implement a range of outreach programmes.

Teachers gain insights into teaching literacy, using activities in science lessons and participatory maths classes. They learn how to use technology effectively and strategies for classroom control. Instructors can take advanced lessons in English so they are prepared to help their students communicate internationally.

Meanwhile education leadership and management sessions enable educators to raise standards across their school. Local teachers learn to train others, multiplying the reach of each Centre. The Academies are creating a network of collaborative teachers and school leaders, ready to support each other in raising the next generation.

[ Find out about our IB-authorised workshops for teachers ]

“By the end of the course, I felt very confident and could handle my day to day school activities easily with a lot of professionalism… [Now] I’m better equipped for handling issues of under-resourced schools.”

Chief Education Officer, Ministry of Education, Kwale, Kenya

Resources for Schools Worldwide

Built around the framework of the Aga Khan curricular strands, these resources are freely available for schools to download and use for education purposes, with appropriate attribution. We welcome feedback about your experiences using these resources in your school. If you have comments, ideas for improvements, or would like to know more about our work, please email us at curriculum@agakhanacademies.org

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture - Theory of Knowledge

Treasures of the Silk Routes: Middle Years Programme

Spotlights

Sujana Veeramachaneni: Teacher, Assistant Coordinator, Dorm Parent, Mentor

At AKA Hyderabad, Sujana Veeramachaneni holds more than her official titles of biology teacher and Assistant Coordinator for the Diploma Programme, science teacher for the Middle Years Programme, and dorm parent. Sujana also ensures her students see her as a friend, mentor and pillar of support: “They should always feel that I’m there for them, no matter the situation, or condition or time of day. You have to tailor yourself to the needs of the students... I change myself, as per their needs.”

[ Read more ]

Yasmin Khan: Mentoring the future leaders of the developing world

When the first Aga Khan Academy opened, it became “a dream” for Yasmin Khan to work at the Academies. Yasmin joined the Academy in October 2016 through the partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Education and has been instilling her legacy of creativity, engagement, and determination ever since.

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Hawa Sabriye: Dedication to high-quality and inclusive education

At the Aga Khan Academy Maputo, Hawa fosters her dedication to and passion for inclusive education. She explains, "We ensure a climate of pluralism on campus through incorporating and promoting students’ backgrounds and interests, and through celebrating differences."

[ Read more ]