The MoU, signed by Princess Zahra and Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the IB, will provide a framework for collaborative work between the IB and AKDN agencies, including the Aga Khan Schools (AKS), the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia. It will cover all levels of education from early childhood to secondary school, undergraduate and graduate studies, and professional development for teachers.
Specifically, the MoU focuses on the following areas of mutual interest:
- Making curriculum meaningful to the changing needs and contexts of learners;
- Developing teaching, learning and assessment tools suitable for learners in the 21st century;
- Supporting the professional growth of teachers with innovative pedagogical practices; and
- Encouraging student engagement and agency to promote social responsibility.
Additionally, the partnership allows AKDN and the IB to work together in areas of advocacy and recognition and explore other areas of interest, such as graduate education and educational research.
“AKDN and the IB share a commitment to advancing high-quality education across diverse communities,” said Mr Heinonen. “By aligning our expertise in curriculum development, teacher growth and community engagement, we will empower students and educators as agents of positive change. The IB is proud to support the AKDN’s mission of fostering global citizenship and social responsibility through innovative educational practices.”
The partnership stems from a strong alignment of values and goals between the two organisations, including pluralism, access to quality education in the Global South, continuous teacher development and inquiry-based approaches to teaching and learning.
“This renewal of AKDN’s agreement with the IB reinforces our longstanding relationship and strengthens our continued work based on a shared belief in the ability of education to achieve societal improvement,” Princess Zahra said. “AKDN looks forward to working with the IB to increase access to high-quality education that is relevant to students from diverse cultures and traditions.”
In 2010, AKDN and the IB first came together to sign a MoU, which fostered greater collaboration between the organisations. As a result of this, multiple curriculum materials were developed drawing on the work of AKDN, particularly with a focus on the Global South and Muslim civilisations, which were shared with teachers in AKS’ seven IB schools and IB World Schools worldwide. Additionally, AKS teachers have participated in pilots of IB curriculum and resources and led workshops at IB regional conferences.
The long-standing collaborative relationship between AKDN and the IB over the past 15 years has also enabled AKS to provide professional development opportunities to IB teachers across Africa, particularly through the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, which has been an external provider of IB workshops since 2010. The IB also authorised the Aga Khan Academies, a part of AKS, to provide IB Education Certificates to graduates of its Teacher Preparation Programme, which trains local educators to become IB-certified teachers.
Based in Switzerland, the IB is a non-profit organization offering three high-quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools. In 2008, Mawlana Hazar Imam delivered the Peterson Lecture at the annual meeting of the International Baccalaureate in Atlanta, USA, and complimented the organization’s educational outlook.
“The IB program incarnates a powerful idea, the confidence that education can reshape the way in which the world thinks about itself,” he said.
“I am confident that the IB program will continue to succeed as it extends its leadership into new arenas in the decades ahead.”
