Aga Khan Academy to educate needy students

Exceptional but needy students in Uganda will have access to education of international standards of excellence once the Aga Khan Academy Kampala is commissioned.

A foundation stone that marked the beginnings of the $50 million project was laid yesterday in Munyonyo on the southern outskirts of Kampala by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan and Vice President Gilbert Bukenya. "As students seek to enter the academies’ programme, they will be judged on merit, not by their financial resources," the Aga Khan said.

GOOD START: His Highness The Aga Khan (L) and VP Bukenya celebrate after laying a foundation stone for the academy in Munyonyo yesterday.
Photo by Stephen Wandera

The academy will offer primary and secondary education and will be guided by the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, an internationally recognised curriculum renowned for its multi-disciplinary and integrated approach to learning.

The IB is accepted by more than 1,700 of the best universities in the world and is known for its academic excellence and promotion of pluralism.

The academy will also provide professional development of teachers to sustain the programme. The academy programme in Uganda will first focus on training of teachers ahead of the opening of the school.

The academy will be one of a network of 18 other academies in 14 countries in Asia and Africa which will be developed over the next 15 years. Only two international schools offer the IB diploma as an option to A-levels in Uganda. They are International School in Uganda and Aga Khan High School at Shs1.5 million per term for three terms.

The academy, located on the shores of Lake Victoria, will occupy 44 acres of land including an island donated by Ugandan businessman Amirali Karmali, also known as Mukwano.

The Aga Khan said that the site is ideal for promoting what he called "environmental pluralism" to accompany the appreciation for cultural pluralism amongst students and teachers.

The academy, which is under the Aga Khan Education Services, is an independent project from the currently existing Aga Khan Schools. The academy launch came a day after the Aga Khan broke ground to start construction of the Bujagali hydropower project in Jinja.

The Aga Khan's visit to Uganda is part of an international tour to celebrate his Golden Jubilee as spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.

He said that the academy will complement the power project in building Uganda's future. "I noted … that lasting economic growth will be self-destructive if it is not matched by the growth of the power supply," he said.

"The same thing is true in the world of human resources, where people supply the power. If economic growth propels us down a road for which our future leaders are not prepared, then we will never sustain our advances. This is why so many of the long-term investments we have been making, throughout the developing world, are investments in education."

President Yoweri Museveni, who was represented by Prof. Bukenya, said the ceremony is a significant milestone in another of the Aga Khan's important contributions in the development of human resource in Uganda. "I am glad to note that the celebration of this Golden Jubilee in Uganda is not mere jamboree, but instead lines with significant development projects -the Aga Khan Academy and the Bujagali hydropower project," Mr Museveni said in his speech read by the vice president.

The President said the student-centred approach to learning and internationally recognised curriculum that the academy will provide is an important tool in the orientation of East Africa towards globalisation.

Prof. Mahmood Mamdani, a political scientist whose latest book deals with challenges of university education at Makerere University, said the academy has the potential of being a landmark because it is devoted to promoting excellence amongst underprivileged students.

"It does not assume that excellence is confined to only those who can afford education but is actually found amongst the vast majority in the population who today cannot afford education," Prof. Mamdani said.

Today marks the end of the Aga Khan's 12- day tour of East Africa where he has left several social and economic investments worth hundreds of millions of dollars.