Mr. Alkarim Dawood, Chairman of the Aga Khan Education Service, Tanzania, welcomed the delegates and thanked AKU-IED and the AKDN institutions for their commitment and efforts at improving educational quality through their various innovative programmes. Dr. Sadrudin Pardhan from AKU-IED reviewed the previous SIP Conference as well as shared the theme and objectives of the current Conference.

In her keynote address, Ms. Gulzar Kanji, Head of the Professional Development Centre, Northern Areas (PDC-N), identified the professional development of teachers and the role of head teachers in the process of improvement as key components in any school improvement programme. She identified schools as agents of change, highlighting that both technological and political dimensions were powerful forces in determining whether any sustainable improvement could occur. Ms. Kanji further said that the infrastructure of education providers was a crucial aspect of a system as it helped synchronize the efforts for the management of change.

Representatives of AKES from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania and Uganda made presentations on numerous SIP-related topics. Delegates from the major SIPs in India, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, along with those from Madrasa Projects in East Africa and BRAC from Bangladesh, also shared their experiences and the results of their programmes. Dr. Kathy Bartlett from Aga Khan Foundation, Geneva, concluded the Conference with a thought-provoking look at current educational and sustainability problems in East Africa, especially those arising out of an unprecedented HIV epidemic in the region.

The SIP Leaders Conference also provided the venue for a number of other related discussions focusing on educational and sustainability issues. The concept of sustainability in the context of developing human resources to address national needs was examined at length. The participants also considered mechanisms that could be implemented for harnessing funding, responding to client needs, creating and maintaining partnerships, and sharing information.