Aga Khan launches campus for model school at Coast

Aga Khan launches campus for model school at Coast Story by JEFF OTIENO Publication Date: 8/15/2007

A multi-million shilling residential campus was inaugurated at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa yesterday. The Aga Khan is greeted by pupils from the Aga Khan Foundation’s madrassa programme at a function in Mombasa yesterday to celebrate 25 years since the inception of the programme. Photo/WILLIAM OERI Construction of the campus launched by the Aga Khan, makes the academy the model of a series of top-level institutions to be built in more than 14 countries in Africa and Asia. The spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims said the academies programme will be rolled out in other countries to create a network of institutions offering high quality education. The Aga Khan said students will enter the academies programme solely on merit irrespective of their financial resources or family background. Unlock potential “Our central hope for the programme is that when students leave the academies, they will move to high quality universities and then to positions of social leadership,” said the Aga Khan. Earlier, the spiritual leader attended Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Madrasa Pre-School Programme which has helped transform education in Coast Province, at the Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee Hall. The Aga Khan said early childhood education was important in unlocking the potential of pupils at an early age. He noted the sharing of knowledge can be traced to roots of Islam. The spiritual leader urged the public to give more attention to schools which prepared young children for future life. “Evidence accumulates steadily showing that an investment made in the earliest, pre-school years can bring enormous dividends as a child proceeds from one level of education to another,” he added. Speaking at the Academy grounds, Education minister George Saitoti commended the Aga Khan for his efforts to boost provision of quality education. Prof Saitoti said the school will be a valuable institution not only for Kenya, but also the East Africa region. “There is credible evidence that educational quality has a strong causal impact on individual earnings and economic growth. Teacher quality strongly influences student outcomes,” the minister added. He also noted that the Government will support the Aga Khan in his education investments saying a sessional paper on supporting private educational institutions had already been passed by Parliament. The Aga Khan said private and public educational institutions should not be seen as rivals in building a better society but as important collaborators. He said the interest of society will be best served if its outstanding youth were given quality education adding that it was a specialised private school which was best positioned to fulfil the goal. Quality education “Social progress can be greatest when aristocracies of class give way to aristocracies of talent or meritocracies,” the Aga Khan noted.  He said the goal of the academies, will be to provide quality education to exceptional students irrespective of colour, ethnic background or religion. The ceremonies are part of golden jubilee celebrations for the Aga Khan as Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims. Source : http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&newsid=104480

Canadian Universities support Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi

Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E Ross Hynes (Center) laughs with hospital staff at the Aga Khan University Hospital as Princess Zahra Aga Khan (far left) looks on.

Nairobi, Tuesday July 17, 2007- The Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H. E. Ross Hynes, presided over the opening of a cardiac catheterization laboratory and three state of the art operating theatres at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was also attended by Princess Zahra Aga Khan. The new facilities will receive support in the form of skills development, partnerships and exchange programs from three Canadian universities: The University of Alberta, The University of Ottawa and The University of Waterloo.

Ambassador Saidullah Khan Dehlavi (left), the Chairman board of trustees of the Aga Khan University Hospital and Canadian High Commissioner to Kenya, H.E Ross Hynes cut a ribbon to mark the opening of an operating theatre at the Aga Khan University Hospital as Princess Zahra Aga Khan (right) looks on.

At the opening ceremony, the High Commissioner lauded the support that Canadian universities had given to the Aga Khan University Hospital, saying they had played a significant role in the development of the medical programme that the hospital plans to deliver to the people of East Africa.

“This shows the significant role that a number of Canadian individuals and organizations have played in the development of important medical programmes that the Aga Khan University Hospital will deliver, and with the broader plans the hospital has in expanding its educational agenda and in strengthening its overall capacity to train students and medical professionals and the people of East Africa”, he said.

Through the collaboration, faculty members of the Aga Khan University Hospital will receive clinical skills development from the University of Alberta in the Cardiology Programme as well as assistance in the establishment of a Cardiac Rehabilitation Service. In addition, the University of Alberta will establish a distance learning educational programme for the Aga Khan University Hospital faculty that will contribute towards a Master’s in medical education.

The University of Ottawa will support the university in the Ophthalmology and Orthopaedic Programmes. Visiting specialists from Canada will provide in situ training for complicated surgeries, and faculty from the Aga Khan University Hospital will visit Ottawa for a few months to perfect their techniques. This initiative, also known as the “sandwich programme”, will enable the development of the Kenyan faculty to carry out specialized surgeries.

Further to this, an exchange programme will be established to enable a knowledge exchange whereby young professionals from the Aga Khan University Hospital will participate in mentorship programmes in Canada to gain technical skills in their areas of speciality. Students from the University of Waterloo and the University of Alberta will also spend between one and two years at the Aga Khan University Hospital to learn and broaden their horizons by experiencing environments in the developing world. At the event, the High Commissioner also congratulated His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan on the golden jubilee as Imam of the Shi’a Ismaili Muslims. He also noted that Canada was proud to have been selected as the site for the Aga Khan’s Global Centre for Pluralism, and, that the Canadian Government was proud to be supporting an institution that will serve as a cornerstone of good governance, the rule of law, and human development in the years ahead.

Source : http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/nairobi/khan_university-en.asp

Aga Khan Receives Kenya’s Highest Medal of Honour

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Nairobi, Kenya, August 14, 2007 – His Highness the Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims was awarded Kenya’s highest medal of honour, the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya, (C.G.H.) by the President of the country, His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki.

Bestowing the award during a state banquet held in honour of the Aga Khan yesterday, the President noted that the Aga Khan had recorded an impressive and enduring legacy of service to the Ismaili community, Kenya and the world at large. “The achievements you have accomplished are an eloquent testimony of your dedication to your spiritual calling as well as selfless commitment to the well-being of mankind, irrespective of race or religion” said the President.

President Kibaki praised the Ismaili community’s contribution to Kenya’s development. “The energy and resources that the community has continued to deploy in various fields of development, including health, education, business and investments have immensely benefited our people and country,” he said. “We value your contribution and look forward to even stronger bonds in the years ahead.”

East Africa in general and Kenya in particular have been the traditional home to many members of the Ismaili community, which has played a significant role in the region’s development for more than a century.

The Kenyan President also applauded the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in the health and education sectors, which impact positively on the lives of many Kenyans. He spoke hours after the Aga Khan announced the launch of East Africa’s first private medical school – the Faculty of Health Sciences that is part of the Aga Khan University.

The Aga Khan thanked the President, “Let me say first what a wonderful honour it is – to become a Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya, and to do so on one’s Golden Jubilee!” He reflected upon his early childhood days in Kenya and spoke about his hope for the future of the country and renewed optimism of the Kenyan people.

“Kenya has one of the highest per capita literacy rates in Africa and is determined to make democracy work. It has created an enabling environment for vibrant enterprise in fields such as agriculture and horticulture, tourism and finance. In fact, at a recent World Economic Forum, Kenya was ranked among the top three countries in Africa in welcoming investment and innovation,” he said.

Speaking about the work of the AKDN in Kenya, the Aga Khan noted that these projects “ .. reflect our respect and affection for the Kenyan people – and for the sense of promise which I recall from my childhood in Kenya, and which I continue to feel on every return visit”.

The Aga Khan is in East Africa for his first official tour of his Golden Jubilee. He leaves on Thursday for Tanzania and will be in Uganda later in the week.

Source: http://www.akdn.org/news/2007Aug14_honour.htm

Aga Khan Academy Mombasa Builds Residential Campus to Welcome Students from Across Kenya

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Mombasa, Kenya, 14th August 2007 – Kenya’s Education Minister, Professor George Saitoti, today laid the foundation stone for the construction of the new Residential Campus at the Aga Khan Academy in Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa, in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan. The residential campus will transform the Academy from a high quality day school attended by Mombasa-area students to a residential campus serving students of all backgrounds from across Kenya.

The ceremony held at the Academy today was attended by government dignitaries, celebrated Kenyan athlete Kipchoge Keino, and several of the Academy’s top students.

Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new campus, the Aga Khan noted that the Mombasa Academy, which opened a mere four years ago, performed well in this year’s International Baccalaureate exams despite its relatively young age. “To have our very first class of students perform so well is a great tribute to the students and to their teachers,” he said.

Of the 22 Academy students taking the exams, two earned marks placing them in the top 3% of marks globally; two others earned marks placing them in the top 10% globally; and the overall school average was nearly two points above the global average of the nearly 180,000 exam takers globally.

The Aga Khan was in Mombasa as part of a 12-day tour of East Africa, the first official tour of his Golden Jubilee year which marks 50 years since he became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims on 11th July 1957, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah.

The Ismaili leader emphasised the need to educate leaders who can cope with an increasingly complex and globalised world. “In a world of bewildering complexity and a mind boggling pace of change, no institution can succeed without wise leadership – and specialised expertise,” he said.

But he noted that the Academies were not designed to serve the privileged elites. “Our goal is to provide a truly exceptional education for truly exceptional students,” he said.

As the first institution in the network of 18 Aga Khan Academies to be established across the developing world, the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, which opened in 2003, is the flagship institution which will contribute to, and benefit from the richness of this diverse network.

Students selected for the Aga Khan Academies come from all backgrounds and are selected on merit without regard for their family’s ability to pay. The Academies seek exceptional young people who possess the potential to become future leaders of civil society.

In planning the Residential Campus, the Academy strives to create a ‘home away from home’ for students – a place where the faculty-to-student ratio is low, thereby assuring that students are well looked after and have both voice and responsibility. A core value of the Aga Khan Academy is pluralism, and this is evident in the importance the Academy places on each member of the school community being supported in his or her spiritual development, no matter the person’s faith background. The new Residential Campus in Mombasa will have space for 312 students, aged 12-18, and up to 60 faculty members and families. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed in 2008.

In his remarks, Salim Bhatia, Director of the Academies Unit of the Aga Khan Development Network, commented on the standards and expectations of the Academy: “We expect the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa to be characterized by high standards academically and personally, a place known for rigour and wonder; self-discipline and play; a place where students learn to excel not to “beat out” a classmate, but to experience the profound satisfaction of having done one’s best and achieved a great result.”

Next week, the Aga Khan will lay the foundation stone for the Aga Khan Academy in Kampala, joining Mombasa and the already acquired sites in Maputo, Mozambique, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dhaka, Bangladesh and Hyderabad, India which are part of the 18 sites currently envisaged in the network of Academies.

Earlier on Tuesday also in Mombasa, the Aga Khan attended a ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the Aga Khan Development Network’s Madrasa Programme that provides early childhood education for children from marginalised communities in East Africa and helps them succeed in primary and later schooling.

Addressing a gathering of Madrasa teachers, former students and Kenyan education officials who assembled for the ceremony, the Aga Khan noted that what began as a tiny programme a quarter century ago has since transformed the lives of thousands. “The dream will continue to unfold. And the work all of you have been doing will continue to resonate in the thousands of lives you have touched and shaped – and in the lives of their children and grandchildren,” he said.

Source : http://www.akdn.org/news/2007Aug14_academy.htm