Worldwide, 600 million children and teenagers fail to reach basic levels of learning proficiency. Nearly half of them remain out of school. However, even those in school are not being prepared to succeed in or contribute to society. Among illiterate youth, nearly two out of three are girls – a fact that has remained largely unchanged for the last 20 years.

As one of the Aga Khan Development Network’s leading agencies in education, the Aga Khan Foundation works to strengthen education systems to equip girls and boys with the knowledge and skills to help them interact effectively with the world and contribute to a pluralist society.

To do so, AKF works in partnership with governments, the private sector, civil society, academic institutions, school leaders, teachers, parents, communities, and students to develop and scale affordable, innovative solutions that raise the quality and accessibility of public education systems for the most marginalized children worldwide.

Our goals

a female teacher in a headscarf sits next to a boy student on the ground. They are using wooden blocks as a hands-on teaching tool in a well-appointed classroom

Increased access to quality and secure learning opportunities

Establishing more and better resourced schools and training more teachers in up-to-date pedagogy

three young men wearing graduation gowns stand with a teacher outside a modern school building

Enhanced learning outcomes

Getting better results for students and connecting them to professional spheres
African students stand together outside of their school.

Strengthened education systems and institutions

Through better resourcing and influencing education policy

Our impact

730thousand

learners benefitted from AKF’s education improvement programs—48% of them female

3thousand

schools benefitted from AKF’s education improvement programs

23thousand

teachers benefitted from AKF’s education improvement programs—41% of them female

Focus Areas

Focus Areas