“AKDN and the IB share a commitment to advancing high-quality education across diverse communities,” said Director General of the IB Olli-Pekka 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,” said Princess Zahra. “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 an 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 globally. Additionally, AKS teachers have participated in pilots of IB curriculum and resources and led workshops at IB regional conferences.
The longstanding 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.