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IB Peterson 40th Anniversary Lecture “Global education and the developing world” – His Highness the Aga Khan
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Video of the Peterson Lecture given by His Highness the Aga Khan
Update: The video is no longer available at C-SPAN for free; however, you can watch it at AKDN (link provided below).
Complete video speech (1 hour, 5 minutes).
Once you click on the picture, it will take you to the source and bring a static image, on the right you have two option of players, once you select the player the video will play.
The same video is also available at AKDN
The Peterson Lecture given by His Highness the Aga Khan was perhaps his most thought provoking public speech given during this Golden Jubilee visit. It perhaps ranks as one of the best articulated speech on the importance of education in contemporary times, the role of schools in cultivating the global citizen and the delicate balance between globalism and tribalism. His Highness has quoted the Quran and the relevance of its message in contemporary times, more frequently than in any speech given in the Western context in recent years. In his address, he gives a very eloquent rational for the vision of the Aga Khan Academies program and the choice of its curriculum.
Aga Khan Makes US Visit – Bridges News
The Aga Khan receives applause …
The Aga Khan, head of Ismaili Muslims, receives applause from International Baccalaureate board chairman Monique Seefried, left, and the rest of the auditorium after speaking to students and educators Friday April 18, 2008, in Atlanta. The Aga Khan, one of the world’s richest men is planning to give away nearly one billion dollars to create academies for underprivileged children in fourteen countries.
Video: Muslim Spiritual Leader Helps International Baccalaureate Celebrate 40th Anniversary
Prince Karim Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of some 20 million Muslims worldwide, stressed the importance of education in the age of globalization in Atlanta as he helped the International Baccalaureate celebrate its 40th anniversary.
The International Baccalaureate, or IB, has programs for students aged 3-19 at 2,300 participating schools in 126 countries, said Monique Seefried, chair of the IB Board of Governors.
Ms. Seefried, along with IB Director General Jeff Beard, hosted a delegation of educators from around the world April 15-18. The trip featured visits to local schools and culminated in the annual Peterson Lecture, which this year was delivered by the Aga Khan at North Atlanta High School.
Revered as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad and the imam of the minority Shi’a sect of Ismaili Muslims, the Aga Khan heads the Aga Khan Development Network, which employs nine interrelated agencies to alleviate poverty in underprivileged countries.
Aga Khan delivers Peterson Lecture 2008
(Picture – left to right Indu Shahani, Monique Seefried and the Aga Khan)
The Peterson lectures were inaugurated in 1989 to commemorate the commitment of Alec Peterson to the IB, as its first director general from 1966–77.
He had been attracted to the “IB project” because it encompassed so much of his own desire for a broad-based education favouring critical thinking skills, community service and an international perspective.
On our 40th Anniversary, at the Annual General Meeting in Atlanta, the Peterson Lecture was delivered by our guest lecturer His Highness the Aga Khan.
Speeches
The Aga Khan’s speech was introduced by Monique Seefried, the Chairman of the IB Board
Read Monique Seefried’s introduction
The Aga Khan’s lecture was titled “Global Education and the Developing World”.
His Highness the Aga Khan concluded his Golden Jubilee visit to the United States
 Leaders of the Ismaili Community from across the United States wave goodbye to His Highness the Aga Khan as he leaves the United States of America. Photo: Zahur Ramji |
Saturday, April 19, 2008 – Having visited the states of Texas, California, Illinois and Georgia, His Highness the Aga Khan departed the United States today, concluding his Golden Jubilee visit to the country. Leaders of the USA Ismaili community gathered at the airport to bid their Imam an emotional farewell.
Additional photographs: Texas, California, Illinois, and Georgia. Also see the video of arrival in Austin.
Photographs at AKDN: Georgia, Illinois, California, Texas.
Reference: theismaili.org
Browse all posts made at Ismailimail during the Golden Jubilee visit to United States
Governor Perdue Welcomes the Aga Khan to Georgia
Friday, April 18, 2008
Luncheon Hosted in Honor of the Aga Khan’s 50th Year as Imam
ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue welcomed His Highness the Aga Khan to Georgia today. Governor Perdue hosted a luncheon in honor of the Aga Khan’s Golden Jubilee (50th year as Imam) at the Governor’s Mansion.
“The Aga Khan is not only a spiritual leader to millions but also a champion for causes benefitting the developing countries of the world,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “His devotion to lifting up others through faith and service is an example to us all.”
The Aga Khan is the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a group of private, non-denominational development agencies working to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East.
Pictures: Aga Khan visit to the Governor’s Mansion
Two pages of super high-quality pictures at the Governor of Georgia’s web-site:
http://photos.gov.georgia.gov/Governor-Sonny-Perdue/April-2008/Aga-Khan-visit-to-the/4747994_LjXyv#P-2-9
Click Slideshow at the website for full screen view
His Highness the Aga Khan ends tour of the US; visits Georgia to promote education program
Imam urges education The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims, meets with attendees after his address to international baccalaureate educators and students at North Atlanta High School. |
ATLANTA — The Aga Khan, billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of 20 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide, ended an eight-day tour of the U.S. stressing the importance of tolerance and education.
He did so as he announced his initiative to establish schools in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
His trip also included stops in Texas, Illinois and California.
It was part of the Shia Ismaili Muslim commemoration of the Golden Jubilee, which marks the Aga Khan’s 50th year as imam of the religious sect.
 The Aga Khan, head of Ismaili Muslims, speaks to students and educators in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday. |
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"The Peterson Lecture" by His Highness the Aga Khan to the Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate
Speech by His Highness the Aga Khan
“Global Education and the Developing World” “The Peterson Lecture” by His Highness the Aga Khan to the Annual Meeting of the International Baccalaureate, marking its 40th Anniversary Atlanta, Georgia. April 18, 2008
Dr. Monique Seefried, Chairman of the IB Board of Governors
Members of the Board of Governors
Mr. Jeffrey Beard, Director General of the IB
Educators and Students from the IB Community
Distinguished Guests
What a great privilege it is for me to be with you today – I have looked forward to this gathering for a long time. And I am particularly grateful to Monique Seefried for her generous introduction, and for so beautifully describing both the local and the global context in which we meet.
This is a particularly significant occasion for me, for several reasons.
It is significant of course because it marks the 40th anniversary of what I regard as one of the great seminal institutions of our era – the International Baccalaureate program. I say that because the IB program incarnates a powerful idea, the confidence that education can reshape the way in which the world thinks about itself.
I am deeply honored to be giving this particular Lecture – the Peterson Lecture, as it, too, has a great legacy. It fittingly celebrates the life and work of Alec Peterson, whose intellectual and moral leadership have been central to this organization and to all whom it has influenced.
I was humbled when I was first invited to be the Peterson Lecturer. That sense of deference grew, I must confess, as I began to look at the distinguished list of former Lecturers. And then I took one more step, and looked at what these people have said through the years – and I was even more deeply impressed by the responsibility of this assignment.
The Peterson Lectures – collected together – would make a wonderful reading list, for an excellent University course, on the topic of international education. After looking through them, I wondered if there was anything left to say on the subject! But if anyone should ever incorporate these lectures into a university syllabus, then perhaps my remarks today could appropriately be placed under the heading of “optional additional reading!”
Finally, this occasion has special meaning for me because it comes, as you may know, on my 50th anniversary as spiritual leader, or Imam, of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. We are thus celebrating both a fortieth and a fiftieth anniversary today – and both provide important opportunities to connect our past with our future, our roots with our dreams.
I came upon a rather striking surprise in looking through the texts of earlier Peterson Lectures. Not just one – but two of those addresses in recent years have quoted my grandfather! It was from him, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, that I inherited my present role in 1957. I also inherited from him a deep concern for the advancement of education – especially in the developing world. These two topics – education and development – have been at the heart of my own work over the past fifty years, and they will form the central theme of my comments today.
Very early after the end of the second world war, my brother and I were sent to school in Switzerland, Le Rosey, and after a few years at that school, a new coach for rowing became part of the school and we were told that he would also coach the ice hockey team during the winter term. His name was Vaclav Rubik, not the one of Rubik’s cube fame but rather, like the famous cube itself, a challenging influence. He was also one of the most talented and intelligent sportsmen that I have ever met. He was in the Czech national ice hockey team which has been one of the best in the world, and he was also in the national Eights and Fours without Coxswain. His wife was in the Czech national field hockey team. So Le Rosey was extremely fortunate to have two exceptional athletes available for coaching. But there was another dimension to Vaclav Rubik. He had a doctorate in Law, and he and his wife were political refugees who had fled on foot all the way from Czechoslovakia to Switzerland. He was a charismatic individual, and after only a couple of years of training he succeeded in putting together an under-18 crew of Fours, which won just about every race it competed in, including the Swiss National Championship for all ages.
Speech by Dr Monique Seefried, Chairman, IB Board of Governors
Dr Monique Seefried’s Introduction 2008 Peterson Lecture 18 April 2008
Your Highness the Aga Khan;
Members of the Consular Corps;
representatives of the Ismaili community and the government of Georgia;
representatives of universities and IB World Schools worldwide;
attendees of the Global Language Convention viewing this Lecture via simulcast;
teachers and students of North Atlanta High School, the hosts of this special meeting,
members of IB Georgia Schools Association,
IB Board and staff members,
ladies and gentlemen,
friends and colleagues,
my warmest welcome to this 2008 Peterson Lecture.
The fact that this year’s Peterson Lecture is being held in Atlanta, and in an IB World School at that, is of special significance, both to me personally and to the IB.
My adopted city of Atlanta, as many of you know, is where my children were raised and educated, where I have for many years been engaged with Emory University and the Carlos Museum, the Atlanta International School, and where I founded the Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education (CASIE) here to promote multi-language programmes and international understanding in K-12 schools in the United States. Over the years I have been witness to the growth of the IB in Atlanta and Georgia as more and more students of different ages and backgrounds have gained access to the quality and values of IB programmes. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the nearby schools, I invite you to visit the exhibition of student work later on during the reception, and talk to some of the students who have come along.
In previous years of course we have held the Peterson Lecture in some historic locations; including the Château de Coppet and the International Conference Centre in Geneva; but hosting it on this occasion in an IB World School, and an IB World School in Atlanta, is a valuable reminder of what the IB is really all about: IB students and the impact that they are making, the impact they will make, on the world around them.
Aga Khan Urges Educators to Embrace Pluralism and Diversity in Teaching
He urges intellectual humility and pluralism as essential to a 21st Century education
AKDN Press Release 18 April 2008, Atlanta, Georgia - His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (Spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims, today said in addition to traditional subjects, schools across the world must teach pluralism – a capacity to see those from different backgrounds as equals.
Delivering the Peterson lecture at the annual meeting of the International Baccalaureate programme in Atlanta, the Aga Khan cautioned that a pluralistic outlook is not an in-born skill and that it must be acquired through education.
“Experience tells us that people are not born with the innate ability nor the wish to see the Other as an equal individual in society,” he said. “Pluralism is a value that must be taught,” he added.
The Spiritual Leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, an ethnically and linguistically diverse community spread across five continents, emphasized the importance of cultural diversity in an increasingly globalized world that at times poses a threat to cultural identities. He also warned that the quest for identity can lead to exclusion. “The quest for identity can become an exclusionary process – so that we define ourselves less by what we are FOR and more by whom we are AGAINST.”
Excerpt of speech by His Highness the Aga Khan at North Atlanta High School
Aga Khan visits Georgia to promote education program
By ERRIN HAINES – Associated Press Writer – Ledger-Enquirer.com – Access North Georgia – Fort Mill Times – WMGT.com – macon.com – MySanAntonio.com – Atlanta Talk Radio WGST
Related content: Aga Khan Academies.
ATLANTA –
The Aga Khan, billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of 20 million Muslims worldwide, ended an eight-day tour of the U.S. on Friday in Atlanta by stressing the importance of understanding, tolerance and global citizenship in education – especially in developing countries.
His trip – which also included stops in Texas, Illinois and California – was part of the Shia Ismaili Muslim commemoration of the Golden Jubilee, which marks the Aga Khan’s 50th year as imam of the religious sect.
In his speech at North Atlanta High School, he tried to raise awareness about the Aga Khan Academies, a $1 billion education initiative that will build 18 schools in 14 countries in Africa, Central and South Asia and the Middle East.
The project grew out of a need to develop well-educated, global citizens who would make a difference in their communities, the Aga Khan told the audience.
“Our Academies Program is rooted in the conviction that effective indigenous leadership will be the key to progress in the developing world, and as the pace of change accelerates, it is clear that the human mind and heart will be the central factors in determining social wealth,” he said.
“Too many of those who should be the leaders of tomorrow are being left behind today. And even those students who do manage to get a good education often pursue their dreams in far off places and never go home again.”
The Aga Khan, who was born and educated in Switzerland, is a Harvard-educated businessman who is a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. In his capacity as imam, he is also chair of the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of private, non-denominational development agencies focused on social, cultural and economic development.
The Aga Khan Academies are an initiative of the network’s Aga Khan Education Services, and under the plan, 18 schools are planned in 14 countries at a cost of about $50 million per school – a commitment of nearly $1 billion. The first school opened in Mombasa, Kenya in 2003, and others are planned in India, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Madagascar, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Tanzania and Uganda.
The academy curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate program, which is derived from a program rooted in academics, critical thinking, and a respect and appreciation for cultural diversity.
The program is celebrating its 40th anniversary in Atlanta this week and the Aga Khan addressed the organization as its speaker for the Peterson Lecture, named for the program’s first director general.
Previously rooted in Judeo-Christian communities, the Aga Khan Academies represent the first expansion of the IB curriculum into Muslim cultures.
“Squaring the particular with the global will require great care, wisdom, and even some practical field testing, to ensure that it is really possible to develop a curriculum that responds effectively to both the global and the tribal impulses,” the Aga Khan said. “The people with whom we will be dealing will present different challenges than before.”
To that end, there will be an emphasis on inclusion, ethics, global economics, world culture, and comparative political systems, the Aga Khan told the crowd of educators, administrators, followers and observers.
“The failure of different peoples to be able to live in peace amongst each other has been a major source of conflict,” he said. “Pluralism is a value that must be taught … As we work together to bridge the gulf between East and West, between North and South, between developing and developed economies, between urban and rural settings, we will be redefining what it means to be well educated.”
The schools will educate between 750 and 1200 primary and secondary students – with one teacher for every seven pupils – and will be open to exceptional students regardless of their ability to pay. Teacher training centers will also be established ahead of the schools’ openings, where local instructors will be taught the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
The 70-year-old leader – also known as Prince Karim Aga Khan IV – succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan, at age 20 on July 11, 1957, becoming the community’s 49th imam. Gov. Sonny Perdue also welcomed the Aga Khan to the governor’s mansion on Friday, where the two met privately for lunch.
Audio: Aga Khan dines with Governor Sonny Perdue
(PBA) Public Broadcasting Atlanta
Listen to audio, excerpts of speech.
ATLANTA, GA 2008-04-18 Today, Governor Sonny Perdue thanked the leader of the largest sect of Shia (she-uh) Muslims for promoting education in Georgia.
The Aga Khan is speaking at an Atlanta high school as part of a US tour.
At the Governor’s Mansion, elected officials helped Perdue welcome Aga Khan. The 50 year-old is the inherited leader of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, a worldwide group of 15 million people. Governor Perdue noted Georgia is home to such Muslims in cities like Fayetteville and Marietta.
PERDUE: His work offers us an example of how people can come together across contemporary divides to help people lead better lives in a safer world.
Aga Khan is speaking to International Baccalaureate students at North Atlanta High School about other IB students he works with in places like Africa and Asia.
KHAN: and we will be trying to build bridges with their institutions so that over a period of years we can develop institutions of global quality based on the knowledge that you will share with us.
Aga Khan’s trip to Georgia helps mark 50 years of partnership between his sect and global governments.
Pictures of His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit – Office of Governor Sonny Perdue
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Photo Album: Aga Khan’s visit to Atlanta
Elissa Eubanks/AJC – Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Aga Khan, head of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, arrives at Fulton County Airport on Thursday.
Dr. Mahmoud Eboo (left), the president of Ismaili Council for the United States; The Aga Khan; and Chris Young, director of International Affairs for the state Department of Economic Development, stand for two national anthems to represent the guest and the host.
Local worshippers welcome the holy visitor.
Sannah Vasaya, 18, from Snellville waves flags with other members of the Ismaili community.
A band greeted him with the Ismaili anthem and the U.S. national anthem, and a representative from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office as well as local politicians were on hand to welcome him.
He will speak in closed session with Ismailis from around the Southeast while here and give a lecture at North Atlanta High School that will attract students and teachers from around the country in the International Baccalaureate program. The Aga Khan is known for his interest in education, sponsoring 325 schools and two universities around the world.
His Highness the Aga Khan visits Georgia
From Georgia Public Broadcasting News.
At the same time the Pope is visiting America, so too is another spiritual leader. Today, His Highness the Aga Khan arrived in Atlanta.The Aga Khan is spiritual leader to more than 15-million Ismaili Shia Muslims worldwide. More than 100-thousand Ismaili live in the U-S, including 20-thousand here in Georgia. More than three dozen supporters were on hand to greet the Aga Khan, as his plane touched down at Charlie Brown Field outside of Atlanta. He was greeted officially by Governor Perdue’s Chief of Protocol. On Friday the Aga Khan will have lunch with the Governor. The trip is part of the Aga Khan’s Jubilee Celebration, commemorating 50 years leading the world’s second largest Shia community.
Muslim leader Aga Khan arrives in Atlanta Georgia
Muslim leader Aga Khan arrives, will dine with Perdue
By CHRISTOPHER QUINN The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 04/17/08
The Aga Khan, head of the world’s 15 million Ismaili Muslims, arrived at Fulton County Airport today to celebrate with his Georgia followers his 50th anniversary as their leader.
A band greeted him with the Ismaili anthem and the U.S. national anthem, and a representative from Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office as well as local politicians were on hand to welcome him.
He will dine with Perdue and other guests at the Governor’s Mansion Friday.
The Aga Khan is well-known not only as a leader of the Ismailis, a sect of the Shiite branch of Islam, but also as a businessman and philanthropist.
He will speak in closed session with Ismailis from around the Southeast while here and give a lecture at North Atlanta High School that will attract students and teachers from around the country in the International Baccalaureate program. The Aga Khan is known for his interest in education, sponsoring 325 schools and two universities around the world.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution article on Imam’s visit
By CHRISTOPHER QUINN
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution – Famous Muslim philanthropist, businessman to visit Atlanta
Published on: 04/12/08
He mixes business with philanthropy, providing jobs and infrastructure to poor parts of the world. His widely diversified business interests include dams, power plants, communications and manufacturing. They finance micro loans of less than $100 and control banks and insurance companies that hold billions in assets. There are hundreds of schools and two universities, and hundreds of health clinics, and cultural centers. He has helped preserve and restore millions of dollars worth of culturally important historic sites.
He has said in rare interviews that he is building the infrastructure that is the foundation for countries’ successes.
Avoiding the paparazzi won’t be a problem for the Aga Khan when he dines at the Governors Mansion Friday.
The lack of photographic gadflies in Atlanta will be a break for the man born Karim al-Hussaini, one of the world’s premiere philanthropists and businessmen who gets mentioned in the social pages of European newspapers.
Though he is not as well known here as billionaires such as Bill Gates, the Aga Khan has a cachet no American will ever have.
He traces his descent from the Prophet Mohammed.
Thanks to his high-living father, the 71-year-old also once called actress Rita Hayworth his stepmother.
He is a man of other seeming contradictions in Western eyes.
His interpretation of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, is the last word for the 15 million Ismaili Muslims who follow him. But strict Muslims from other groups frown upon his stables of race horses on which people gamble.
He is deferred to by Ismailis as if he were a medieval prince, but he is a force for modernization and pluralism in Islam.
He is fabulously rich but runs one of the world’s largest private development networks focusing on the poor.
This socially conspicuous but very private man arrives in Georgia Thursday.
He is visiting Ismailis around the world to celebrate his 50th anniversary as Aga Khan, a hereditary title conferred on him by his grandfather.
He will also make time to chat with people from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention about cooperating with some of his Middle Eastern and south Asian medical facilities to keep an eye on infectious and chronic diseases.
Friday, he dines with Perdue and about 75 guests in his honor.
