The Aga Khan University (AKU) completed the first decade of its founding with a number of major developments in 1993. Foremost amongst these was the launching of the Institute of Educational Development (IED), the first academic programme beyond the health sciences. IED's mission is to enhance, through training and research, the quality of education and the status of the teaching profession in Pakistan and the region. In selecting this new field, the Chancellor and the Trustees were mindful of the fact that like nursing, teaching is one of Pakistan's most underprivileged profession and is made up predominantly of women.