18 Ugandan teachers graduate as Aga Khan’s education programme pioneers

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A total of eighteen teachers under the inaugural teacher development programme have graduated from the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Educational Development (AKU-IED).

This is the first cohort to graduate from the year-long initiative, which is a collaboration between Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) Uganda and the AKU-IED, which aims to transform teaching practices to meet the demands of 21st-century education.

The graduation ceremony on May 24, 2025, at Aga Khan Primary School in Kampala was attended by educators, school leaders, and representatives from both AKES and AKU.

Aga Khan Education Services chief executive officer Mahmoud Sayani said it is a necessity for evolving teaching methodologies to align with the changing world.

He highlighted the importance of moving away from traditional rote learning towards fostering critical thinking and adaptability among students.

“If we teach the old way, then we'll prepare students for the old world, and the old world is gone,” Sayani remarked.

He acknowledged the collaborative efforts with AKU-IED in developing a framework that focuses on active learning, higher-order thinking, and continuous assessment.

“Learners need to engage with what they do not know and find a solution. They need to come up with new knowledge. They need to communicate their knowledge to other people. They need to collaborate with other people. So that's the same thing our teachers need to do,” Sayani explained.

He also revealed that he drew inspiration to modernise teaching practices from researcher Anthony Bryk's framework, which poses three critical questions for system improvement: identifying the specific problem, determining potential changes, and assessing whether those changes lead to improvement.

Sayani recognised that traditional teaching methods were outdated and collaborated with Professor Jane Rarieya at Aga Khan University to develop a program aimed at equipping teachers with contemporary, student-centred approaches.

AKU-IED East Africa dean Prof. Jane Rarieya praised the graduates for their dedication and transformation throughout the programme.

“You have become not just better teachers but more importantly, reflective practitioners, educators who lead with both heart and mind,” she said.

Rarieya underscored the programme's design, which included workshops, classroom coaching and ongoing mentorship, ensuring practical application of new teaching strategies.

She also acknowledged that some participants initially questioned the programme's relevance or viewed it as a challenging obligation. However, she commended the graduates for embracing the experience and undergoing significant professional growth.

The programme's impact was evident in the testimonies of the graduates.

Janet Nawula, a social studies teacher and head of department at Aga Khan Primary School, said, “The course has empowered us to be reflective teachers. Active learning is about engaging the minds of learners to think critically”.

She also noted improvements in setting higher-order thinking questions and adopting innovative teaching methods like the flipped classroom.

The ceremony concluded with a call to the graduates to serve as leaders and mentors within their communities.

The Aga Khan Teacher Development Program was launched last year to enhance the quality of education. The programme aims to equip teachers with modern pedagogical skills, focusing on student-centred and inquiry-based teaching methodologies to meet the demands of today’s education.

CEO Mahmoud Sayani said this programme is still being explored, but will eventually be open to other teachers from various schools in Uganda.