Established in 1998, the Aga Khan Lycée in Khorog is the first privately operated school in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast (GBAO). Each year, it educates students from grades 0 to 11. The vast majority of graduates from the school have continued their education at local and international post-secondary institutions. More than 2,000 graduates are now working as highly qualified experts in various fields, contributing to the socio-economic development of the country.

The Aga Khan Lycée provides students with a quality education and prepares them for further studies at higher education institutions and quality international universities. It also tests and develops new teaching and learning approaches that can serve as models of best practice for other education institutions in Tajikistan and throughout the region.

From 2001 to 2020, the Aga Khan Lycée annually admitted the top two students from each of the seven districts of GBAO into grades 10 and 11, offering financial support to cover tuition fees and living allowances. The school has awarded more than 180 scholarships since 2001.

The Lycée’s curriculum is offered in three language streams – English, Tajik and Russian – to encourage students to develop fluency in more than one language. Special attention is placed on learning the Tajik language and cultivating knowledge and appreciation of the country’s rich history, literature and heritage.

The curriculum focuses on balanced, student-centred approaches that foster critical thinking skills while also developing collaboration, creativity and problem-solving abilities. The Lycée supplements the Tajik National State Curriculum with international content and practical skills to ensure that graduates are competitive at a global level.

Collaboration with the Aga Khan Education Boards in the UK, USA and Canada, and the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board in Canada since 2017, has enabled the sharing of diverse expertise, providing professional development opportunities for Aga Khan Lycée teachers. Examples of these programmes include the introduction of STEM activities such as robotics, maker’s lab and coding clubs, and summer and winter upgrading programmes to boost students’ chances of entering higher education.

Recent renovations have improved the building’s earthquake resilience, fire safety, hygiene and sanitation, and overall learning environment. This has allowed the maintenance of the best hygiene conditions for the school community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AKES offers several outreach programmes, including the Learning Support Programme, Youth Leadership Forum and Summer Camp.

The Learning Support Programme was initially developed by SPCE to support teachers and students at government schools. It includes six-month assessed supplementary after-school English language and mathematics education for grade 7-11 students in government schools.

The Summer Camp was first launched in 2006 in Khorog. Its primary goal is to develop participants’ teamwork and leadership skills while engendering a sense of belonging and responsibility to the wider community. Understanding the importance of civil society and pluralism remain key secondary goals.

The Youth Leadership Forum engages grade 8-11 students annually from a variety of schools in Khorog and provides them with an environment to meet and discuss contemporary local issues and challenges while jointly seeking solutions. The aim of the programme is to strengthen relationships, build a greater sense of community amongst the youth, enhance leadership skills and cultivate an interest in civic engagement and civil society.

AKF’s Education Improvement Programme enriches public schools with extracurricular materials, books, visual aids and digital learning resources to reinforce student learning outcomes and progress and improve 21st-century skills. AKF also supports science, technology, engineering, maths and foreign languages improvement in secondary schools, by developing resources and testing the best practices.

The Aga Khan Lycée’s professional development training supports teachers to enhance their knowledge and capacities. Around 85 teachers and AKES Tajikistan staff participate in AKES-run Cambridge English courses every academic year.

AKF supports Teacher Training Institutes through its blended learning platform, which provides free online video-based teacher training courses. Blended learning teacher training is need-based, cost-effective and more accessible.