From the UK to Kenya: Promoting excellence in teaching through the Professional Teacher Collaboration Project
The Aga Khan Schools (AKS), in collaboration with the Aga Khan Education Board for the United Kingdom (AKEB UK), hosted training sessions in August 2024 for mathematics teachers across the Aga Khan Education Service (AKES), Kenya as part of the Professional Teacher Collaboration Project (PTCP).
The PTCP is designed to strengthen educational outcomes through knowledge sharing between highly skilled UK-based teachers and AKS teachers. It was launched in 2018 with teachers at the Aga Khan Lycée, Khorog in Tajikistan and the Aga Khan School, Osh in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Since then, the programme has broadened its focus from solely mathematics to include instructional leadership. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PTCP took place virtually in 2021 and focussed on hybrid teaching strategies and assessment methods, equipping teachers with skills to navigate the new educational landscape.
After a brief pause in 2022, the programme returned the following year in Tanzania with in-person training for AKES, Tanzania teachers. Four teachers from AKEB UK led workshops, which facilitated the exchange of professional best practices in mathematics education and enriched pedagogical skills.
This year’s PTCP, hosted at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, provided teachers with new tools, methodologies and pedagogical methods aimed at improving classroom experiences for learners.
“The PTCP this year taught me how to integrate technology into my lessons without impacting student learning,” said Miriam Amula, a teacher at AKES, Kenya. “I also liked the approaches to learning. We want to create an approach that engages students and allows them to be the leaders of their own education, so it’s more student-centred.”
The AKEB UK teachers also explored best practices in education with the AKES, Kenya teachers, focusing on growth mindset, student engagement, modelling, effective questioning and lesson planning.
"It was so rewarding and fulfilling to work with the Kenyan teachers, connecting my skills as a teacher with my passion for volunteering,” said Suhail Manji, one of the AKEB UK teachers. “The teachers were so welcoming and treated us like family, taking on board our ideas and then implementing them in the classroom. One of our teams’ objectives was to introduce the importance of students feeling success in a classroom, and in observing the teachers at the Aga Khan High School, Mombasa, we quickly saw that ethos being implemented in their lessons.”
Following the training, the participants refined and developed their lesson planning processes, which is being supplemented by ongoing support from the AKS Head Office team. This process will ensure that the PTCP continues to enhance teaching standards and outcomes for years to come.
“The PTCP has played a crucial role in promoting teacher collaboration, fostering peer learning and enhancing professional development,” said Head of Academics for AKES, Kenya Hawa Mjidu. “Initially centred on the mathematics department, we introduced the practices of the PTCP to other departments at the national curriculum schools for AKES, Kenya and it is now being implemented in different subject areas. Although this posed a challenge at first, many teachers have been successful in integrating the new lesson plan.”
The Professional Teacher Collaboration Project exemplifies the Aga Khan Education Service, Kenya’s commitment to continuous improvement in teaching and learning across its schools. It also provides an opportunity for a partnership between teachers from different countries and advancing teaching practices across the Aga Khan Schools globally.
Photos (top to bottom):
- Teachers and leadership team of AKES, Kenya with AKS Head Office team and AKEB UK teachers.
- AKES, Kenya teachers working together with AKEB UK teachers.
- Maths Lead Practitioner for AKS Nadeem Hirji leading a session with the participants.
- AKEB UK teacher conducting a session.
