Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School

Infobox Private School
border = #006633
name =The Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School Dar es Salaam


motto =Better Always Better
established =1967
type =Private Secondary
city =Dar es Salaam
country =Tanzania
homepage = [http://www.agakhanschools.org/tanzania/akmss/ www.agakhanschools.org]

[http://www.agakhanschools.org/tanzania/akmss/ The Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School] , Dar es Salaam is a co-educational non-government school in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was founded in 1967, and is operated by the Aga Khan Education Services, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. The school's motto is "Better Always Better". Established in 1967 as a co-educational institution, the Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School is one of Tanzania's leading non-government schools. The Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School motto is "Better Always Better".

The School strives to create a harmonious balance between academic demands, sporting and cultural activities and community life. It challenges its pupils to be intellectually inquisitive and socially conscious. The School believes that while what students know is important, the true measure of a student’s education is to explore the limitations of their knowledge.

For three consecutive years (2000-2001, 2001-2002 and 2002-2003), Mzizima was awarded the Certificate of Excellence (Ist Grade) from the Minister of Education and Culture and Inspectorate for exemplary performance at the Tanzanian National Examinations.It adopted the International Baccalaureate system before the 2005/2006 academic year began.

The School's History

Established in 1967, as a co-educational institution, the Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School is one of Tanzania's leading non-government schools. The Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School motto is "Better Always Better".

The School is part of the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES). AKES has a long tradition of leadership in educational development. The foundations of the present system were laid by Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III, under whose guidance over 200 schools were established during the first half of the 20th century, the earliest of them in 1905 in Zanzibar, Gwadur in Pakistan and Mundra in India. Since the creation of Aga Khan Education Service companies in the 1970s, the schools have been centrally administered and managed.

AKES currently operates more than 300 schools and advanced educational programmes that provide quality pre-school, primary, secondary and higher secondary education services to more than 54,000 students in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Uganda, Tanzania and Tajikistan. Schools are also envisaged, or under development, in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique and Syria.

In the last 36 years, the School has undergone three major changes. The first came in 1980, when Mzizima introduced a six-week orientation course for Form I students. This initiative assisted students who could not cope with the change from the Kiswahili primary level instruction to English-based instruction in secondary school.

Students were taught sufficient language skills to help them better grasp English-medium classes during the orientation course. Other subjects were also taught in English at a level accessible to students.

After 1980, Mzizima introduced student-centred education (then a novel idea in Tanzania). Before this change, teaching at the School was passive, with the teacher lecturing the class and providing notes. In today’s curriculum, class discussions and projects are of equal importance to tests and exams.

As a result of these changes and a rise in academic rigour, the School began to receive more prospective students than it could accommodate. In 1990, a merit-based entry system was introduced. Prospective Form I students were admitted based on their performance at an entrance test.

Over time, the School’s existing A-level streams - PCM (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) and PCB (Physics, Chemistry and Biology) no longer fully catered to the academic interests and needs of all students. This prompted the School to introduce the ECA (Economics, Commerce and Accountancy) stream in 1995. Today, the School offers the PCM, PCB and ECA combinations at Advanced Level.In line with the commitment to provide educational leadership in Tanzania , in 2005, the centenary of Aga Khan schooling worldwide, parents were offered an alternative to the national curriculum for their children. This new program has introduced the British-based IGCSE and an application to the International Baccalaureate Organization for accreditation to the Diploma Program to allow students to graduate with an internationally recognized qualification. The culmination of this initiative will be the opening of a purpose built facility near the University of Dar es Salaam. The foundation stone for this state-of-the-art school was laid by His Excellency the President of Tanzania Benjamin William Mkapa in the presence of His Highness the Aga Khan.

Headmaster Roll Tenure

Ms S Datoo 1967 - 1976 Mr M.K. Dalvi 1977 - 1981 Mr S. Juma 1981 - 1983 Mr. V. R. Acharya 1984 Mr. C. Jesson 1985 Mr V.R. Acharya 1985 - 1987 Mr A.S. Thind 1988 - 2001 Mr T. D’Souza 2001 - present

School population

The School has a population of 725 students. There are 365 students studying for ‘O levels (Forms I - IV) and 160 for the ‘A’ Levels (Forms V - VI). 200 students are studying in the new curriculum section leading on to the IGCSE exams at Grade 11. 45% of the student population is female.

English is the medium of instruction and the School offers the Tanzanian National Curriculum at both the ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels. And also the IB Diploma for students who have completed their middle school years. The Head of School has a team 5 Mentor teachers, 50 teachers, 13 administrative and 15 support staff to effectively facilitate the teaching - learning process.

Parent Teacher Meetings

Open Days serve as an occasion for parents and teachers to interact and complete the triangle of the three important stakeholders in any school; teachers, parents and students.

Every term, the School organises an Open Day for each level. Subject teachers spend two to three hours with parents discussing their child’s academic progress, attendance, discipline and school participation. The Head of School also addresses queries from parents, seeks feedback, solicits parental involvement in various activities and updates them of various curricular and co-curricular developments and achievements.

The School also organises an orientation programme for new Grade 8 students. It serves as an induction for parents and students to the school ethos, tradition, culture, facilities and its staff. We encourage parents to be involved in the social and emotional development of their child. Our focus lies in developing parents as critical partners, actively contributing to the effective functioning of the School.

Curriculum

The School follows the Tanzanian National Curriculum, both for O and A levels. The School curriculum is continuously being enriched to ensure students receive a balanced educational experience. The following subjects are offered at O levels:

English French Kiswahili History Geography Civics Mathematics Physics Chemistry Biology Commerce Book Keeping ComputersAt A -Levels the following subject combinations are offered:

Economics, Commerce, Accountancy (ECA) Physics, Chemistry, Biology (PCB) Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (PCM)In January 2005, the school introduced a new curriculum that leads to the IGCSE examinations at Grade 11. The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Examinations are administered by CIE, University of Cambridge International Examinations, which is part of the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES).

IGCSE provides a foundation for higher-level courses such as: GCE A-Levels, the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma, North American Advanced Placement Test and the IB International Baccalaureate Diploma.

The IGCSE curriculum programme at Mzizima is taken over a period of two academic years in Grade 10 and Grade 11. The exam is taken in May/June.

Students at Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School make their subject choices for the IGCSE from the following list:

Group I Languages EnglishFrenchKiswahili - GCE O Level Group II Humanities and Social Sciences EconomicsGeographyHistory Group III Sciences BiologyChemistryPhysics Group IV Mathematics MathematicsAdditional Mathematics Group V Business, Creative,Technical and Vocational Business StudiesArt and DesignAccountingComputer Studies

Students choose a total of eight subjects with at least one subject from each group. All subjects are to be taken at the extended level. The achievement grades available at extended level are A. B. C. D., A. B. C. being O-level equivalent grades.

An ICE (International Certificate of Education) is awarded to candidates who pass in seven subjects including 2 from Group I and one from each group II to V. The seventh subject may be from any of the syllabus groups.

Aga Khan Mzizima Secondary School has been inspected by a British Council Exam Manager on behalf of CIE of Cambridge University. Subsequent to that examination, the School was recommended as an IGSCE centre and as a school able to offer the IGCSE curriculum programme. The facilities at Mzizima Secondary School , including science laboratories, a well-stocked library, a Computer Centre, text books, classrooms and a team of committed trained teachers with many years of professional experience, are well-suited to the IGSCE,

ee also

*Aga Khan Education Services
*Aga Khan Development Network