Community News
One person’s mission to connect communities
23 November 2020
"I spend a lot of time learning about my faith and trying to be an exemplary ambassador of Islam in the world,” said Aziz Nathoo, who has immersed himself in teaching, dialogue, peacemaking, tolerance, and promoting pluralism for the past 20 years.
From Gondia To IIT Kharagpur
20 November 2020
Want to pursue a great education but need financial support? For many years the Aga Khan Education Board’s (AKEB,I) Tertiary Scholarship Programme (TSP) has helped support the hopes and aspirations of students from the India Jamat. Three TSP alumni share their story on how the scholarship programme has helped bridge the gap between dreams and reality.
Message from Mawlana Hazar Imam, 2 November 2020 (Gujarati)
2 November 2020
Impact and innovation: An educator’s journey into school leadership
29 October 2020
“Education is an equalizer. All of us who are in education, we’re not in there for money. We’re there for impact,” said Shehnaz Wadhwania, currently the founding principal for Abram Agnew Elementary School in California’s Santa Clara Unified School District. Before becoming a school leader, Shehnaz followed a unique career path in education, where she felt she could make the greatest impact.
Youth of UAE jurisdiction tour cultural sites in Muscat, Oman
29 October 2020
Amidst the magnificence of the Al-Hajar mountains, the lush fruit-scented plantations of Misfat Al Abriyeen, and the abandoned settlements of Harat al-Bilad, 15 young adults from the United Arab Emirates and the surrounding region participated in an international excursion to Muscat, Oman last year.
Student-run nonprofit seeks to close gaps in STEM education
24 October 2020
Everything is made of something. Materials science is the study of what objects are made of – from metals to ceramics and polymers – and why certain materials function the way they do. It is the science that explains why your phone charger is made of the insulator polycarbonate or why a car contains the fireproof material fiberglass in its bumpers, doors, roof, and wheels. Though materials science and engineering (MSE) is not often studied in schools, it is the foundation of all objects in our world.
Global Encounters virtual camp to be held in December after successful first session
22 October 2020
CONNECT, a virtual camp that was brought directly to the homes of 1,075 participants during a 10-day period this July, was an effort to bring the global youth together through creativity and exploration. Due to its success, registration is now open for a second session to be held this December.
Learn conversational sign language with new programme on The Ismaili TV
19 October 2020
Talking Hands is an initiative by the Aga Khan Education Board and Aga Khan Social Welfare Board in the UK that introduces viewers to British Sign Language (BSL). The eight-episode series will air weekly on The Ismaili TV, with different topics covered in each lesson. Viewers will build up their sign vocabulary and be able to have basic everyday conversations in BSL.
The classroom without walls
5 October 2020
Responding to crises often requires us to think quickly; providing agile and adaptable solutions that can evolve with a changing context. In India, when the pandemic forced the closure of schools and Religious Education Centres, AKEB and ITREB in India took their learning programmes online for the first time ever.
Crisis as a catalyst: Unlocking opportunities in teaching and education
25 September 2020
Across the world, education has been one of the most severely disrupted areas in the wake of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Through the introduction of various online initiatives, the Aga Khan Economic Planning Board (AKEPB) in India has invested in upskilling for teachers, to help them navigate the new world of online education.
From houses to homes: Building on secure foundations in rural India
15 September 2020
As India rapidly urbanizes, pockets of rural Gujarat continue to remain home to smaller communities of the Jamat. Anchored to their land and with strong ties to their community, they often live in areas that are seismically active. Since 2012, the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat’s Rural Habitat Development Programme, has focused on working with these communities to improve the resilience and safety of their built environment. In transforming their living spaces from houses to homes, the programme has helped improve residents’ quality of life.
Students build organic farm during school closures
3 September 2020
A group of Ismaili students from Afghanistan and Tajikistan made the most of a difficult situation when they were unable to return home from the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad during the Covid-19 pandemic. With the abundance of spare time they were suddenly given, the students planned and implemented an organic farm on the school grounds.
