The Aga Khan School (AKS) in Osh, managed by the Aga Khan Education Services, provides over 450 students with quality learning experiences. The school environment values diversity and responds creatively to the educational needs of children. It challenges the students to be intellectually inquisitive and socially conscious, preparing them to become confident leaders and contribute their knowledge to the development of their country. The school offers instruction in both English and Russian. Since its first graduating class in 2007, over 95 percent of graduates have advanced to further education at local and international universities.

Over the past decade, AKS, Osh has become an integral part of the local community, offering innovative education approaches to both students and teachers. The school encourages students to master multiple languages, promotes the use of information and communications technology, and nurtures engagement in science, technology, engineering, arts and and maths (STEAM) disciplines. We offer teachers professional development opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and help them to diversify their classroom practices and maximise opportunities for students to explore, analyse, reflect and learn.

We have upgraded the English language curriculum (to align with the Common European Framework for Reference) along with the science and maths curriculum. This enables teachers to enrich and expand upon the national curriculum that is currently taught, and support the vision to become a STEAM-specialised school.

Our professional development offering supports teachers to enhance their knowledge and capacity. Approximately 30 teachers participate in Cambridge English courses every academic year. The teachers have also been trained in Edu Page, a cloud-based school management system enabling more effective and time-saving solutions for assessments, curriculum inputting, attendance tracking, assigning homework, e-learning and other tasks.

To encourage student interest and skills in the sciences, AKS Osh has established STEM-focused clubs covering robotics, makerspaces and coding.

The school is currently being renovated to improve its earthquake resilience, fire safety, hygiene and sanitation, and overall learning environment for students and teachers.

Aga Khan Foundation

AKF is leading Schools2030, a global 10-year participatory action research and learning improvement programme based in 1,000 government schools across 10 countries, including the Kyrgyz Republic. Using the principles of human-centred design and focusing on the key transition years of ages five, 10 and 15, Schools2030 seeks to annually generate 1,000 locally rooted education solutions that can inform and transform systems-level approaches for improving holistic learning outcomes for all learners. The initiative also includes early childhood development through a pre-primary cohort and interventions to equip young people with employable skills. Find out more

AKF is working to increase parents' voice and agency in the development of their schools by:

• building the capacity of school boards of trustees;


• using social accountability tools to allow parents to assess the performance of their schools against national education standards, and to develop and implement solutions together with the school administration; and


• supporting school budget transparency.

The University of Central Asia (UCA) was established to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia, particularly its mountain communities. It offers an internationally recognised standard of higher education, helping people of the region to preserve and draw upon their rich cultural traditions as assets for the future.

The Presidents of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, and His Highness the Aga Khan, signed the International Treaty and Charter establishing this secular, private, not-for-profit university. It was ratified by the respective parliaments and registered with the United Nations.

University of Central Asia Campus in Naryn

The University of Central Asia’s (UCA) first campus opened in Naryn, Kyrgyzstan, in 2016. The second campus opened in Khorog, Tajikistan, in 2017. The third campus in Tekeli, Kazakhstan, is in the planning stage. Undergraduate students interested in majoring in Computer Science or Communications and Media can enrol in the campus in Naryn.

Watch: UCA’s Naryn Campus Inauguration

Continuing Education

UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) remains a leading provider of post-secondary, short-cycle continuing education in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Certificate programmes are offered in 15 learning centres across Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. SPCE staff offer young learners, teenagers and adults professional and vocational qualifications in a flexible format that boosts skills development and improves qualifications for employment, job creation and educational mobility.

The Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP) promotes pluralism in ideas, cultures and people by supporting the development and implementation of an innovative humanities curricula based on the cultural traditions of Central Asia. AKHP initiates and supports curriculum and pedagogical development in universities, community outreach projects and institutional development through long-term partnerships. It has worked in universities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

In 2016, AKHP launched a Public Lecture Series in Bishkek, in partnership with the Kyrgyz National University (KNU). This series is designed specifically as professional development for KNU faculty and is open to university scholars, researchers and students. It promotes interdisciplinary discourse between intellectuals, academics and students in the disciplines of humanities and the sciences. Find out about UCA’s public events