“One of the challenges that has concerned me over many years, and which I have discussed with leading Muslim thinkers, is how education for Muslims can reclaim the inherent strengths that, at the height of their civilisations, equipped Muslim societies to excel in diverse areas of human endeavor. Clearly the intellectual development of the umma, is, and should remain, a central goal to be pursued with urgency if we wish the Muslim world to regain its rightful place in world civilisation...
I deeply share this conviction, but three immediate questions follow: How do we foster intellectual development in the umma? In what areas of human knowledge should we seek to lead? And where should we source our education? It is in an endeavour to address such critical questions relating to education that the Ismaili Imamat has undertaken a number of initiatives.”
What institutions did Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah establish to promote education?
In recent Ismaili tradition, and during the milestone Imamat Jubilees in particular, there have been lasting legacies in the field of education. In 1936, during the Golden Jubilee of Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah, childhood development, education through financial scholarships, development of primary and secondary schools, and higher overseas education were at the forefront of the Jubilee objectives. Once again, during the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees in 1945 and 1954, more than hundred schools were built, ultimately changing the destiny of the respective Jamats who did not have access to formal education, as well as the communities in which they lived.
How has Mawlana Hazar Imam built and expanded these efforts to make early and secondary education accessible globally?
During his Imamat, the Mawlana Hazar Imam has expanded on Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah’s focus on early education through the already laid foundations of the Aga Khan schools. Through the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), Mawlana Hazar Imam helped develop institutions ranging from daycare centres to higher secondary schools. Building on the over two hundred schools established by Mawlana Sultan Mahomed Shah in East Africa and South Asia, Mawlana Hazar Imam continued to expand in order to admit more students and provide education in new areas. Today, AKES operates in Dubai, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan.
In the mid-1980s, based on a request from Muslim leaders from Kenya’s coastal regions, Mawlana Hazar Imam, working with the local community leaders and educators, initiated a flagship program for early childhood education in local madrasas.
Finally, in the year 2000, Mawlana Hazar Imam established new programs to create a special network of schools called the Aga Khan Academies, which operate in a number of countries in Asia and Africa. Their mission is to educate students from pre-school to higher secondary education, aiming to provide education of very high international standards, with the hope to create a new generation of leaders who will be of service to their countries and communities.
What AKDN Institutions focus on promoting post-secondary and adult education?
In 1983, Mawlana Hazar Imam founded the Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan, whose aim is to promote the welfare of people by spreading knowledge. Over the years, AKU has expanded its programs and has branches in Pakistan, East Africa and the United Kingdom, where the Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations (AKU-ISMC) is based in order to further the study of Muslim societies.
Another university also founded by Mawlana Hazar Imam is the University of Central Asia based in Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, with an aim to promote the economic and social development of communities living in the mountain zones of Central Asia.
How does this work help the Ismaili Community access both Faith-Based and Secular Education?
Mawlana Hazar Imam has established the Aga Khan Education Boards in every country to assist Ismaili parents, students and Jamat to access institutional expertise for education from ECD onwards.
In terms of improving the quality of religious education in the Jamat, in 1977, Mawlana Hazar Imam established the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London with the object of promoting scholarship and learning of Muslim cultures and societies, historical as well as contemporary, and a better understanding of their relationship with other societies and faiths. The Institute engages in academic research and publications, and develops curriculum materials for Ismaili students around the world, such as the Pre-Primary, Primary “Ta’lim”, and Secondary Curriculum books. Additionally, the IIS runs various educational programs for Ismailis who aspire to engage in the academic study of Islam, and for those who wish to become religious education teachers and waezeen within the global Jamat. The IIS library has a large collection of books, manuscripts and other materials, particularly the largest collection of works on Ismaili history and thought in the world today.
Speaking about the broader aims of the work of the IIS and the AKU-ISMC, Mawlana Hazar Imam said in London in 2008:
“In all these efforts, they take a holistic, civilizational approach to Islamic studies, rather than emphasizing the more narrow domain of theological dialectic. What some describe as a clash of civilizations in our modern world is, in my view, a clash of ignorances. This is why education about religious and cultural heritage is so critically important—and why we will continue to invest in these institutions. We deeply believe that scholarship, publication and instruction—of high quality and generous breadth-- can provide important pathways toward a more pluralistic and peaceful world.”
How have Mawlana Hazar Imam’s efforts impacted the Quality of Life for the Jamat, the Muslim Ummah and broader communities?
The institutions mentioned above are just a few examples of the Imamat’s educational endeavours. These endeavours directly impact Ismailis, the Muslim Ummah and broader communities so as to improve their quality of life as well as their perception of education. Over the past half a century, the educational network of schools and universities that Mawlana Hazar Imam has built, educates over 2 million students each year, which is a tremendous force for change throughout the societies in which the AKDN operates.
To learn more about the Imamat’s educational institutions, please visit:
