Welcome to this historic and momentous occasion . . . the first graduation ceremony of Aga Khan University in East Africa . . . and the first Aga Khan University graduation ceremony outside of Pakistan. It marks the celebration of AKU as an international university, based in Pakistan but reaching out to other countries of Africa and Asia. 

Given the longstanding and important connections between the people of this region and the institutions of Aga Khan Development Network, of which Aga Khan University is an integral component, it is fitting that the first graduation ceremony outside of Pakistan should be in East Africa. That it should be in Uganda is a tribute to the foresight and immense cooperation of President Yoweri Museveni, the Ministers and officials of the Government of Uganda, and the leadership of Uganda's professional bodies and councils. In granting accreditation to Aga Khan University in June of 2000 to begin an Advanced Nursing Studies programme here in Kampala, your government set an example which is now being followed by Kenya and Tanzania where AKU also received accreditation three months ago. 

But I also have a personal reason to feel pleased that Uganda is the site of our first graduation ceremony outside of Pakistan.  For it is in this country that I was born and spent my early childhood.  I fondly remember attending Aga Khan School, the same school that my mother attended when she was a young girl in the early years of the last century. I remember her telling me that my teacher . . . who by then must have been a very ancient man . . .  was also my mother's teacher.  

It is on this very road . . . Makerere Road . . . that I used to ride my bike, never realising that one day I'd be here, back to my roots and in such exalted company, addressing the gathering as President of Aga Khan University. (Pause)

This graduation ceremony honours 57 graduates of Aga Khan University.  Three have completed an 18-month Enrolled Nurse to Registered Nurse conversion programme under the auspices of the Advanced Nursing Studies programme here in Kampala.  They are truly the pioneers of the University's programmes in East Africa.  The other 54 graduates have achieved academic success, not in nursing but in the field of education.  As part of a programme with the Ugandan government to upgrade the quality of teacher skills and education in Uganda, our AKDN partner, Aga Khan Education Services Uganda, sought the assistance of Aga Khan University's Institute for Educational Development in establishing a teacher education programme to be run in Uganda under the AKES mandate.  Fifty-two course participants, administrators from government departments and teachers from both public and private schools, attended that programme and today will receive their AKU certificates.  Two additional students, who attended AKU-IED teacher education studies in Karachi for two years, will receive their Master of Education degrees here this afternoon.  I have much pleasure in announcing that both of them have graduated with distinction - the only ones in their class of 28. They will join two other Masters programme graduates who previously completed their studies in Karachi.  All will go out into the schools to share what they have learned, setting new, higher standards of professionalism in teaching.

So today we celebrate.  We celebrate the accreditation of Aga Khan University in Uganda . . . the first graduating class of the Advanced Nursing Studies programme . . . and the achievements of meritorious teachers and school administrators.  All of them have upgraded their skills that they might better serve the people of Uganda. (Pause)

Since this is the University's first graduation ceremony in Uganda, perhaps it would be appropriate to recount a brief history of the institution whose graduates we are honouring today.  One might think there is not yet much history to tell, given, that AKU is barely 20 years old. But its roots go back a thousand years.  They can be traced to Al Azhar, recognised as the world's oldest university, founded in Cairo by the Fatimid ancestors of our founder and Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan.  In that renowned institution, the scholars and scientists of the time, explored the wonders of mathematics, physics, medicine and astronomy, igniting a flame of knowledge that Aga Khan University carries today.

AKU received its Charter from the Government of Pakistan in 1983, establishing the first private, international University in Pakistan. The need for such an institute of higher learning in this part of the world arose from the experiences of Aga Khan Development Network, a group of private, non-denominational, international development agencies established by His Highness the Aga Khan.  They have worked in East Africa, South and Central Asia and the Middle East for more than a century. To make possible sustainable development in emerging nations, His Highness foresaw the critical need to develop human resources to take leadership roles. But that required an institution of higher learning . . . a university.  A university that was autonomous and self governing . . . that would impart high quality education . . . and would address problems and needs specific to developing countries in Asia and Africa.  It would need to offer programmes and conduct research that would be relevant to, and have impact upon, the improvement of societies at both local and regional levels.

Establishing a university in a developing region of the world proved a more difficult task than was initially expected.  It required the assembly of a variety of human and material resources, and the input and wisdom of academics and experts from several countries, both from the developed and the developing world.

When starting the School of Nursing in 1980 - the University's first academic programme - we called upon the knowledge and skills of McMaster University in Canada. That Canadian linkage has been extended over the years, such that today various units of the University enjoy close relationships with McGill University, the University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia. Similar linkages were established in later years with major institutions in the United States, such as Johns Hopkins University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the Karolinska Institute in Sweden; with several eminent universities in the United Kingdom; as well as with universities in Pakistan, and the Pakistan College of Physicians and Surgeons.

To conceptualise future academic programmes, His Highness the Aga Khan sought the wisdom and expertise of the president and senior academics of Harvard University whose recommendations, expressed in a far reaching report in 1983, played a vital role in the evolution of the new institution. 

Thus, Aga Khan University was built on the solid foundations of assistance and guidance of renowned institutions in Pakistan and overseas.  At the Charter presentation ceremony in 1983, AKU's founder and Chancellor said ". . . the overall aim of Aga Khan University will be to make clear and rational judgements as to which foreseeable future needs of the developing countries require new educational programmes."  The Chancellor went on to say that having identified those needs it would ". . . address them by the appropriate means, setting the highest standards possible, whether in teaching, research or service." 

It was in this spirit that His Highness, having identified nursing many years ago as a critical human resource need, encouraged the University School of Nursing to launch a regional nursing programme in East Africa, and thus the University's first academic programme overseas.

The University's first faculty was the Faculty of Health Sciences, comprising a Medical College, and a School of Nursing located along side an associated 500-bed teaching hospital, all on a central campus in Karachi, Pakistan.  Its initial focus was on providing undergraduate education for doctors, and diploma training for young women to qualify as registered nurses.  Today the range and scope of the Health Sciences programmes have expanded significantly.  The Medical College now offers postgraduate education in 29 medical specialties. Graduate programmes to the PhD level are offered in other disciplines, such as Bio-Statistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, and the Basic Sciences. In the School of Nursing, new bachelor level programmes were introduced in 1988, and last year, for the first time in Pakistan, nurses were given the opportunity to earn their masters degree in nursing.

Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi is a tertiary care teaching facility in which nursing and medical students enjoy hands-on learning under the guidance of faculty recruited on the basis of their high qualifications, including their experience in prestigious institutions. The Hospital is one of the few teaching hospitals in Asia to have received ISO 9002 quality certification.  It is important that 70 percent of the patients treated at the Hospital come from lower income families, many of whom cannot afford the full cost of their treatment. Thus, a major Patient Welfare Programme is in place to help the sick and the needy.

Some ten years ago, the University moved beyond the Health Sciences and established an Institute for Educational Development.  Its purpose was to educate practising teachers and school administrators in new methods and philosophies of teaching.  It now offers a wide range of certificate and diploma programmes, as well as a masters degree for those seeking to become education leaders. The establishment of this new institution was an excellent example of cooperation between the University, educational institute in Pakistan and overseas, and international funding agencies. The programme was designed and implemented with the help of the University of Oxford and the University of Toronto. Initial funding was provided in large part by the European Commission, the Canadian International Development Agency, the United Nations Development Programme and Aga Khan Foundation.  With their support, students from 14 countries of Africa and Asia undertake professional development studies that are changing the nature of education in their homelands.

In 1994, following exhaustive deliberations by a group of internationally renowned academic leaders, a Chancellor's Commission Report was unveiled.  It described a 25-year vision of the University's development that laid emphasis on the need for internationalisation of the University.  In some countries, universities internationalise themselves simply by increasing the number of foreign students on campus. AKU sees internationalisation as taking the campus to the students in their home countries. The Chancellor's Commission Report serves as our road map to the future, and today's first graduation here in Africa is a milestone on that development highway. (Pause)

In January last year, here in Kampala, Aga Khan University commenced its first overseas teaching programme in the Advanced Nursing Studies.  It was, and is intended to be, a regional programme for Eastern Africa.  It emanates from the needs identified several years earlier in exhaustive studies conducted by members of a regional group, lead by AKU, comprising representatives of the Ministries of Health and Nursing Councils of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania, and AKDN institutions in these countries. The Programme provides practicing nurses and nursing managers opportunities to continue their professional education to the bachelors level and beyond, without leaving their workplaces for extended periods. And, through open and distance learning soon to be introduced, it expects to extend these programmes to far flung distant communities using the power of Internet communications.

In addition to nursing education, AKU's Institute for Educational Development plans to establish Professional Development Centres in Kampala and other key centres in Eastern Africa to provide teacher development opportunities, and courses to enlarge the knowledge and skills of school administrators. Designed as a regional programme, it will follow the AKU practice of starting modestly to build capacity in faculty and management, thereby ensuring success in more ambitious programmes in later years. 

Also on the regional planning horizon are postgraduate medical education programmes for physicians seeking to develop their skills in specialty areas.

Thus there will be, in the foreseeable future, significant growth in the University's activities in East Africa.  But its development isn't confined to this region.  Earlier this year the University established a new Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London, England. A secular institution, it does not offer religious instruction.  Rather, its mission is to develop a better understanding of different Muslim civilisations throughout the world . . . the contributions made by Muslim scholars and scientists to contemporary society . . . and the special challenges faced by Muslim societies in developing countries. (Pause)

From its earliest days, research has been an integral part of the education mission at AKU, whether in the basic and medical sciences, in nursing or in education, or more recently in the study of Muslim civilisations. Our research programmes are also supported by grants from many international agencies, including Britain's Department for International Development, the Save the Children Fund, the United Nations Development Program, and USAID. A distinctive characteristic of research undertaken at AKU is that it is relevant to the problems and needs of the societies in which it serves.  Whether research is conducted by our own faculty and students alone, or in cooperation with our partner universities elsewhere, we expect it to have impact on the lives of those seeking better health, better education and a better quality of life in the developing world. (Pause)

Quality is also demanded in AKU's students, so that admission to the University is based strictly upon merit. 

While all students are expected to contribute something towards the cost of their education, no student admitted on merit is denied entry only for lack of funds. In fulfilment of this principle, the University provides financial assistance to over 40 percent of its students. This same principle will also apply to students seeking admission to the University's programmes in East Africa and elsewhere in future.

AKU, is an international university that believes in the plurality of its student body and faculty, and places the highest value on the principles of quality, relevance, impact and accessibility in all of its programmes. 

Today the University has seven teaching sites in five countries.  It has graduated over 5,000 students, and has a current enrolment of 1,200, one-third of whom are in graduate programmes.  Fifteen percent are from foreign countries, including many from Uganda and the other East African nations. (Pause)

Looking to the future, planning has already begun on the establishment of a Faculty of Arts and Sciences on a new 500-acre campus in Karachi.  It will be a regional institution offering high quality liberal arts education, drawing students from all over South and Central Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.  They will acquire the skills of critical thinking and reasoning that will enable them to become effective leaders of tomorrow. (Pause)

In the words of our Chancellor, "With the decision to establish the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, AKU will take the major step of moving beyond professional education towards becoming a comprehensive university in its classical form."

Now that I have explained what Aga Khan University is and what it hopes to achieve for the people of Uganda and the greater region, let us revert to the real business of this happy occasion.

To all of today's graduates, whether nurses or teachers, and to all of their parents and families who share in the joy of their success, we offer our heartiest congratulations. We exhort the graduates to work in their professions and with their communities, sharing their knowledge and acting as agents of change to influence improvement in education and health care in Uganda.

We are honoured, Professor Bukenya, that you have graced this important occasion. Through you, we thank President Museveni, the members of his government, and all who have played a role in making this day possible.  We thank you for being our most honoured guest, and look forward to hearing your message and your words of wisdom.

Before I close, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the outstanding work of all those who were involved in establishing the Nursing and Teacher Education programmes in Uganda and elsewhere.  We are indebted to the leadership of Aga Khan Foundation in Uganda and the region; the Chairman and members of Aga Khan Education Services Uganda; the Leadership of the Ismaili Community in Uganda, our many volunteers and donors in this country and abroad; faculty members in Uganda involved in the teacher education Lead-In programme; and especially the Regional Director and faculty of the Advanced Nursing Studies programme in East Africa. I should also express our gratitude to the faculty and management team in Pakistan.  All those have been involved, in East Africa and in Karachi, were faced with the difficult challenge of setting up our first overseas academic programmes. I am pleased to say you rose to the task and achieved your objectives. (Pause)

We in Aga Khan Development Network and Aga Khan University are pleased and grateful to have been given an opportunity to make our humble contribution to the development of human resources in Uganda.

As we look forward to the future growth of Aga Khan University in this wonderful country, we find inspiration in the wisdom of President Yoweri Museveni.

Thank you, and Mwebale Nyo