The July event in Dhaka was attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of civil society and business, and members of the Ismaili community.
Representing the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh as Chief Guest, the Honourable State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, H.E. Mr. Nasrul Hamid, MP, in his speech remarked: “Pluralism is no longer an asset or a pre-requisite for development, it is vital to our existence”
AKDNs Resident Diplomatic Representative to Bangladesh, H.E. Mr. Munir M. Merali, spoke about the importance of the celebration and the launch of the Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka “the award-winning Aga Khan Academy in Dhaka represents a significant investment by His Highness and AKDN to help improve on the quality of education in the country”.
The Academy campus situated in the heart of Dhaka is designed and built to international standards, with a curriculum centred around the mission of educating the holistic individual – intellectually, spiritually, ethically, and physically. State-of-the-art teaching and learning facilities, and first-rate athletic facilities and playing fields are also planned on the site.
Once fully built, the campus will comprise over 500,000 square feet of built space to accommodate a wide range of sporting and athletic activities. As part of the Network’s commitment towards developing in-country capacity, the Academy in Dhaka will house a Professional Development Centre which will provide professional development programmes for teachers from the public and other not-for-profit schools across the country.
AKDN has been operating for over six decades in Bangladesh across a broad spectrum of activities and programmes ranging from the promotion of the jute sector to early childhood development, primary and pre-tertiary education, and financial services. Building upon various bi-lateral agreements, the AKDN in Bangladesh is actively engaged with the government and a variety of development partners to help bring social and economic progress for all people of Bangladesh.
