Education

Over the past 18 months, the pandemic made educational inequalities more visible. The partial closure of schools and move to remote teaching for most students shone a spotlight on the issue of access to education, with often the poorest students missing out. Addressing gender equality, Maina WaGῖokõ, Vice Principal at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, trains the trainers that lead a programme called Connecting Classrooms, which are professional development courses for teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa. He explains how both he and his teachers benefited hugely from being grouped with schools from around the world on the virtual learning platform to explore different ways of teaching the topic. “Teachers don’t just learn about the idea of gendered access to education,” says Dr WaGῖokõ. “They also learn how to deliver their lessons in a gender-responsive way. “

The Graduation Ceremony of the Aga Khan School, Dhaka, for the Academic Year 2020-21, was held recently as a virtual event. Amyn Saleh, Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Service, Bangladesh congratulated the class of 2021 for their perseverance and persistence throughout their school years. He addressed how this graduation ceremony celebrated years of education that motivated these young learners to gain knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to thrive in a complex, dynamic and diverse world. Chief Guest Munir M Merali, Resident Diplomatic Representative of AKDN in Bangladesh, recognised and congratulated the exceptional class of graduates. He motivated them to fully embrace the role of being 'authentic leaders' who are fearlessly explorative and sincerely empathetic.