Aga Khan Education Service celebrates diamond jubilee

KARACHI: The Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan, on Saturday held a regional conference to celebrate the diamond jubilee of the Aga Khan at the Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan School.

The conference illustrated the impact of education in Pakistan over the past 113 years since the opening of the first school in Gwadar, Balochistan in 1905. Since then 160 schools have been established, impacting more than 42,000 students countrywide.

The conference focused on a study conducted by students mainly in Sindh to trace the history of Aga Khan Schools and highlight the valuable contribution of the institutions in partnership with the government towards the attainment of national goals for education.

The findings show the impact of the schools in building a conducive learning environment and increasing access to quality education. Through active community participation, the AKES Pakistan provides access to marginalised communities. Student enrollment in the Aga Khan Schools (south region) increased from 80 students in 1950 to currently over 9,600.

The investment in the development and training of teachers over many decades has exponentially enhanced the number of qualified teachers to over 500 in the region with 60 per cent having a postgraduate qualification. The impact of which is evident from the high student passing rate of 97 per cent at the Higher Secondary level, out of which 60 per cent are high achievers and four out of 10 graduates join the medical profession. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail presided the event as the chief guest. Around 250 people attended the conference, including government officials and representatives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), eminent scholars and academicians, alumni of Aga Khan institutions, prominent professionals and members of civil society.