Aga Khan University
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The Aga Khan University (AKU) is the first private university in Pakistan, chartered in 1983, it is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Aga Khan University was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, under the auspices of the charitable Aga Khan Foundation of the Aga Khan Development Network. AKU’s objective is to promote human welfare in general, and the welfare of the people of Pakistan in particular, by disseminating knowledge and providing instruction, training, research and service in the health sciences, education and such other branches of learning as the University may determine. It is Pakistan's largest private medical institute and hospital.
AKU is a non-denominational institution open to all, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, gender or national origin. Student enrollment is non-discriminatory and one of the most competetive in Pakistan.
Forty-four percent of the University’s faculty are women, many in senior posts. Fifty percent of students in the Medical College are also women. The University’s admissions policy is needs-blind and based on merit. Over 33 percent of the students receive financial aid. Most graduates end up pursuing their careers within the USA, but an increasing number are now leaning back towards the United Kingdom because of the complex immigration rules and regulations of the USA post 9/11.
The University works closely with other universities and has a partnership with McMaster University, Canada, and Harvard University. It is primarily a health sciences university with a medical school, nursing school and post graduate and medical doctorate programs. In addition they also have an institute for Educational Development and an Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilization. The latter institute has been established in London, England.
In its first two decades, AKU’s major force was in the fields of health and education. In the decade ahead, the University plans to step beyond professional education towards becoming a comprehensive university. In its two decades of existence, AKU has yet to influence health care or medical education in Pakistan in a substantive manner. Most of its graduates flee Pakistan for postgraduate education, many do not return, meaningful research is only beginning to raise head while healthcare facilities are too expensive for a common Pakistani.
The total cost of construction of the hospital and the medical college ran over 400 million US dollars in the mid 1980's. AKU boasts of a campus with stunning architecture and scenic lakes.
Following the liberal arts model, a new campus for "Faculty of Arts and Sciences" is under construction in Karachi. The estimated cost of this project is over 200 million US dollars. It will aim to develop skills in critical thinking and analysis, raise proficiency in verbal and written communication, enhance human resource development in the region, and advance understanding in particular academic disciplines.
Another programme under consideration is an Institute of Human Development, which will be dedicated to advancing the understanding of the effects and conditions of early childhood on subsequent well-being and performance, and the application of this understanding to the development of interventions and evaluation to assess their potential efficacy and applicability.
External links
- [www.aku.edu] - Aga Khan University
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