AKDN and IB renew partnership to strengthen education in Global South

Geneva, Switzerland, 13 January 2025 – The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) have renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen access to high-quality education for students across the Global South and provide richer opportunities for educational research and growth.

The MoU, signed by Princess Zahra Aga Khan and Director General of the IB, Olli-Pekka Heinonen, will provide a framework for collaborative work between the IB and AKDN's agencies, including the Aga Khan Schools (AKS), Aga Khan Trust for Culture, Aga Khan University and 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 21^st 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 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.

About AKDN

For over 100 years, AKDN has worked to increase the quality and availability of education for students of all ages from early childhood to university degrees and continuing professional development. AKS comprises 200 schools, more than 100 non-formal education programme centres and eight hostels in 11 countries across East Africa and South and Central Asia. Seven schools offer the IB in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Hyderabad, India; Kampala, Uganda; Maputo, Mozambique; Mombasa, Kenya; and Nairobi, Kenya. The Aga Khan University, which has eight campuses worldwide, and the University of Central Asia, which has two campuses and 17 learning centres across the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, provide undergraduate and graduate programmes in nursing, education, media and communications, computer science, global economics, earth and environmental sciences, business management, engineering sciences, and more. The universities also offer professional development opportunities to improve the capacity and quality of critical professions in society. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture Education Programme develops teaching materials and tools to enable the wealth of knowledge accumulated by two of the Trust’s key programmes – the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme – to be shared with students as well as a broader interested public. For further information on AKDN’s educational activities, click here.

About the IB

The IB is a Swiss-based non-profit foundation offering three high-quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools. For over 50 years, IB programmes have gained an international reputation for their high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalised 21^st century and for helping to develop the citizens who will create a better, more peaceful world. For more information about the IB and its programmes, click here.