Aga Khan graduates 39 under IB programme

Aga Khan Education Services Uganda says they anticipate a 100 percent pass rate among the 39 students who graduated on Saturday from the two-year International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme.
 Speaking at the graduation ceremony at Fairway Hotel in Kampala, Mr Fred Tukahirwa, the Principal of Aga Khan schools, said this is the first time the school is holding a graduation ceremony for the IB students before their results are out because they have the confidence that all the students shall pass highly.

 “This group of 39 students graduating in the IB diploma programme is very unique because they studied during the most difficult period. They were pursuing their education online because there were no physical lessons apart from the time for writing mocks and their final examinations,” he said.

 Mr Tukahirwa explained that they believe the students will do very well because when the schools were reopened, the teachers concentrated on the aspects of the education system, which were missing during the online teaching, and followed up each student individually.
 “With that intervention, we believe all these students will do very well in their final examinations. There was a lot of emphasis on their community work, their ability to do something to change the situation they find themselves or other people in. They now have the resilience to enable them contribute to societies where they are working whether they are still at school or when they complete their studies,” he said.

 Mr Micheal Mawanda, the head of admissions, said the IB class graduation is an annual event that the school holds to celebrate success because the IB programme is a prestigious A-level course. The International Baccalaureate Diploma programme is offered to pre-university students and they are issued diplomas at the end of the course. 
The programme also entails an 18-month community service programme, which contributes to the final grades in the external examinations. When the students graduate, they can join most universities in world, including Makerere and Mbarara, which now recognise it.

 Mr Micheal Musaazi, the head teacher, said this is the highest number of graduates they are passing out, which he attributed to the online lessons the school introduced to facilitate continuity of learning when the Covid-19 prevention restrictions led to closure of schools in 2020. This, he said, attracted more parents to the school.
The students’ IB results are expected back on July 6.