AKDN provides education at all levels in Tajikistan, ranging from preschool to postgraduate and from teacher development programmes to international research.
2,000
The Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog has over 2,000 graduates
The Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) operates the Aga Khan Lycée, which educates students from grades 0 (age six) to 11 each year. AKES also offers outreach and early childhood development programmes.
The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the University of Central Asia (UCA) are fostering new collaborations through the Mountain University Partnership programme, which aims to help mountain universities improve their research capacity, as well as academic programmes and services.
Tajikistan hosts a UCA campus in Khorog. With a campus in Naryn, Kyrgyz Republic, and another under construction in Tekeli, Kazakhstan, UCA was established to promote the social and economic development of Central Asia. In addition to degree programmes, UCA’s School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) provides formal, university-based, non-degree educational programmes and vocational training. UCA’s Aga Khan Humanities Programme (AKHP) promotes pluralism in ideas, cultures and people.
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 Tajikistan. 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
The Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog, Tajikistan.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
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.
The School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPCE) in Khorog, Tajikistan.
UCA
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.
AKDN provides education at all levels in Tajikistan, ranging from preschool to postgraduate and from teacher development programmes to international research.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
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.
AKDN / Christopher Wilton-Steer
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.