The Aga Khan University
An Overview
The first ever private sector university that got registered in Pakistan back in 1983 is the Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi. The university was established by His Highness Prince Shah Karim Al Hussaini Aga Khan (IV), a royal who because of his philanthropic nature and the desire to help people flourish in developing countries founded the university which now comes under the domain of Aga Khan Development Network. The university is affiliated with the University Grants Commission, Pakistan and the Association of Common Wealth Universities (ACU), a charitable organization situated in the United Kingdom.
The people at AKU have played an exceptional role in its success, helping it retain the number one spot in the category of Medical Schools in Pakistan (HEC rankings, 2013).
Chartered as an International university by the Government of Pakistan, Aga Khan University has five campuses in different countries. It offers different academic programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, East Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt, Syria and United Kingdom. It comprises of a pool of 2490 existing students, has 11,463 alumni and a diversified and highly experienced faculty and staff of 1300. It is currently operating the following departments and faculties.
- East African Institute
- Faculties of Health Sciences
- Faculties of Arts and Sciences
- Graduate School of Media and Communication
- Institutes for Educational Development
- Institute for Human Development
- Institute for the study of Human Civilizations
- Medical Colleges
- Schools of Nursing and Midwifery
AKU is very popular for its Faculty of Health Sciences, which was planned and established with assistance and support from the Harvard, McMaster and McGill universities. It is currently comprised of the Aga Khan Medical school and includes the School of Nursing & Midwifery. The nursing school of the university was opened in 1981, two years before the university got chartered.
Renowned design consultant, Mozhan Khadem was appointed in 1971 to design the building of AKU. In line with his reputation of being a culturally responsive designer, he designed the building in accordance with the traditions of the Indo-Persian and Mughal Architecture.
AKU is a strong promoter of research. 70% of the bio-medical research in Pakistan is being performed by AKU. It has developed a University Research Council (URC), whose purpose is to oversee and plan the research at the institution. A few areas on which research is being performed by the university include Stem cell biology, Maternal and newborn child health and Neurosciences etc..
Students at AKU are also encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities by joining societies that match their interests, thus helping the students in enhancing their expertise and skills.
REFERENCES
Aga Khan University. Retrieved 2014, from Aga Khan Development Network: http://www.akdn.org/aku.asp
Quality and Research Based Ranking 2013. Retrieved 2014, from Higher Education Commission, Pakistan: http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/QALI/Others/RankingofUniversities/Documents/Final_Ranking_Lists_dated5th%20July%202013.pdf
The Aga Khan University. Retrieved 2014, from The Aga Khan University: http://www.aku.edu/aboutaku/Pages/home.aspx