Agreement between Imamat and Ontario
Imam speech only - released may 2015 http://youtu.be/3WEYuTNy3uY
Video just released by AKDN - 4 sept 2015 http://youtu.be/_CQ2x2jA_pk
Agreement of Cooperation Promotes Education, Diversity and Economic Development
The Ontario government and the Ismaili Imamat have signed a historic Agreement of Cooperation to support projects that promote pluralism, cultural diversity, and the social and economic advancement of Ontario and other parts of the world.
The Agreement of Cooperation stems from the Government of Ontario and the Ismaili Imamat's shared desire to:
Explore opportunities for collaborating and building a strategic partnership.
Support the social and economic advancement of people, particularly the vulnerable in Ontario and other parts of the world;
Learn from each other in fields such as education; and
Understand the societal and economic benefits of diversity and successful pluralistic societies to further their common goal of equitable human advancement and social justice based on principles of mutual benefit and reciprocity.
The main agreement establishes an understanding to explore opportunities for further collaboration and learning in fields of mutual interest, such as education, diversity, social justice, economic development, and social and cultural change.
The agreement also includes two appendices, which lay out specific areas for cooperation.
APPENDIX ONE
The Ontario government and the Ismaili Imamat have agreed to collaborate on mutually beneficial education initiatives, in elementary, secondary and postsecondary education.
The province will work closely with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and one of its agencies, the Aga Khan Academies. The Aga Khan Academies are an integrated network of day and residential schools dedicated to expanding access to education. The Academies recruit exceptional young people from all backgrounds and provide them with the highest international standard of education, thereby developing future leaders with the skills and knowledge to support development in their societies.
This appendix lays out three separate areas of cooperation with these Academies.
Teacher Secondments
Ontario will second up to 10 Ontario teachers to the Aga Khan Academies. The total number of secondments will be up to the equivalent of 10 one-year secondments over three years starting in the 2015-16 school year.
Postsecondary Access
Ontario will provide tuition waivers to 30 high school graduates of Aga Khan Academies in Kenya, India and Mozambique over the next three years so they can pursue a college or university program in Ontario, while the Aga Khan Academies will provide support to these students for living and other expenses. These tuition waivers will be distributed to academically qualified students who are in financial need, starting in the 2016-17 school year.
Curriculum-linked Resources
The parties will explore a range of curriculum-linked resources that draw on the Aga Khan Museum -- and potentially other resources of the Aga Khan Development Network -- to build teacher capacity and student understanding of pluralism, starting in the 2015-16 school year.
APPENDIX TWO
This appendix sets out plans for policy dialogues between the Aga Khan Council for Canada and the province. The dialogues will explore opportunities for the parties to further collaboration and learning under the broad theme of "Diversity as a competitive advantage and economic driver."
The appendix specifically outlines three policy dialogues:
Shaping Pluralistic Dispositions in Education (Q4, 2015)
Ontario's elementary, secondary and postsecondary schools offer a world-leading educational experience, enriched by a diverse student base and a curriculum that promotes inclusion and pluralism.
The Ministries of Education and of Training, Colleges and Universities will work together with the Aga Khan Development Network to further promote shaping pluralistic dispositions in education.
Culture as an Economic Driver (Q2, 2016)
Culture-related industries currently contribute approximately $22 billion annually to Ontario's economy, generating about 280,000 jobs. In 2012, preliminary figures indicate spending by arts and culture tourists generated $3.9 billion in GDP and supported 61,000 jobs.
As Ontario continues to develop culture as a key economic driver, the Aga Khan Museum of Toronto will play a key role in helping to affirm its position as an internationally recognized cultural centre and tourist destination. Together with Ontario's thriving arts and culture community, the Aga Khan Museum will continue to build Toronto's reputation as a truly international, diverse and vibrant community with an innovative, creative economy.
Leveraging Toronto's Diversity for an International Economic City (Q1, 2017)
Toronto is home to the world, giving it unique economic advantages. With over six million people from 200 countries speaking over 200 languages, Canada's financial capital and largest city has immense potential for businesses to grow and thrive in today's global market.
Harnessing our diversity as an economic driver is top of mind for Ontario's government. Through collaboration with the Ministry of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade for Ontario and the Aga Khan Development Network, this dialogue will explore ways Toronto can continue to compete with New York, London, Shanghai and Tokyo and position itself at the forefront of global economic cities.
http://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2015/05/a ... pment.html
Agreement between Ontario Canada and Ismaili Imamat
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mahebubchatur
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mahebubchatur
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News article 4 Sept 2015...
Published on Sep 4, 2015
May 25th, 2015: Queens Park, Toronto. His Highness the Aga Khan and Premier Wynne signed an agreement between the Province of Ontario and the Ismaili Imamat that sets a blueprint for cooperation in a number of areas including culture and education.
"Today Ontario and the Ismaili Imamat have signed really a historic agreement of cooperation to explore areas of cooperation and joint initiatives including education, diversity and economic development.
I have known for some time the depth of commitment to education and to community involvement and to inter-generational sense of responsibility within this community and it is remarkable so I just want to acknowledge that.
This Agreement is I think a partnership that's going to allow us to have a mutual benefit in terms of Education, sharing of resources but also in terms of policy development and that was the conversation His Highness and I were just having.
The discussion about pluralism that is so important to the world, yes it is important to the Ismaili Imamat, yes it is important to Ontario, but it is important for the world that we have a better understanding of how pluralism can work and I think the language in the agreement is exploring how we can encourage a disposition towards pluralism I think that is so critical and I don't think that any group of people is positioned better than this collective group to have that discussion.
I am very excited about what we can do together, the Ismaili Imamat is really an ideal partner and I hope we will be an ideal partner in Ontario in return."
"I want to tell you how happy and grateful my community and I are for this agreement that we have just signed.
Our history, our interpretation of our faith is anchored in the intellect and we rejoice in investing in the human intellect.
It's part of the ethics of what we believe in and it's part of what we believe distinguishes us obviously from the environment in which we live.
So, the agreement that we have is giving us new opportunities to widen our exposure to education in the industrialized world, but to widen that education within a context where our values are the same.
That is very important because it's clear that with a global community such as the one of the Ismaili community we need to invest in global values, in values which can be applied to any society, at any time, in any part of the world. And this is what we are finding in Canada that we will have a partnership with you and in investing in that partnership, we're investing in a profession which I have to say, has difficulty in the developing world.
There are three professions in the developing world which are undervalued. First is nursing, the second is education and the third is journalism. And yet all those professions are critical for the development of a quality civil society in the third world.
The partnership that you have allowed us to create is going to come in and assist us to reposition one of the greatest professions that we need in the third world.
So I would ask you to think of this not only in terms of what we will be able to achieve in terms of collaboration, but in a much wider context of the teaching profession and its position in the developing world.
But then we were discussing something else, we were discussing dialogue, we were discussing policy, we were discussing what ideas we need to move forwards in various parts of the developing world and sharing these ideas, talking about them openly and freely between the context of common values, shared values is an absolutely wonderful opportunity and I thank you very much for making that possible.
Thank you."
– His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan,
49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... li-imamat/
May 25th, 2015: Queens Park, Toronto. His Highness the Aga Khan and Premier Wynne signed an agreement between the Province of Ontario and the Ismaili Imamat that sets a blueprint for cooperation in a number of areas including culture and education.
"Today Ontario and the Ismaili Imamat have signed really a historic agreement of cooperation to explore areas of cooperation and joint initiatives including education, diversity and economic development.
I have known for some time the depth of commitment to education and to community involvement and to inter-generational sense of responsibility within this community and it is remarkable so I just want to acknowledge that.
This Agreement is I think a partnership that's going to allow us to have a mutual benefit in terms of Education, sharing of resources but also in terms of policy development and that was the conversation His Highness and I were just having.
The discussion about pluralism that is so important to the world, yes it is important to the Ismaili Imamat, yes it is important to Ontario, but it is important for the world that we have a better understanding of how pluralism can work and I think the language in the agreement is exploring how we can encourage a disposition towards pluralism I think that is so critical and I don't think that any group of people is positioned better than this collective group to have that discussion.
I am very excited about what we can do together, the Ismaili Imamat is really an ideal partner and I hope we will be an ideal partner in Ontario in return."
"I want to tell you how happy and grateful my community and I are for this agreement that we have just signed.
Our history, our interpretation of our faith is anchored in the intellect and we rejoice in investing in the human intellect.
It's part of the ethics of what we believe in and it's part of what we believe distinguishes us obviously from the environment in which we live.
So, the agreement that we have is giving us new opportunities to widen our exposure to education in the industrialized world, but to widen that education within a context where our values are the same.
That is very important because it's clear that with a global community such as the one of the Ismaili community we need to invest in global values, in values which can be applied to any society, at any time, in any part of the world. And this is what we are finding in Canada that we will have a partnership with you and in investing in that partnership, we're investing in a profession which I have to say, has difficulty in the developing world.
There are three professions in the developing world which are undervalued. First is nursing, the second is education and the third is journalism. And yet all those professions are critical for the development of a quality civil society in the third world.
The partnership that you have allowed us to create is going to come in and assist us to reposition one of the greatest professions that we need in the third world.
So I would ask you to think of this not only in terms of what we will be able to achieve in terms of collaboration, but in a much wider context of the teaching profession and its position in the developing world.
But then we were discussing something else, we were discussing dialogue, we were discussing policy, we were discussing what ideas we need to move forwards in various parts of the developing world and sharing these ideas, talking about them openly and freely between the context of common values, shared values is an absolutely wonderful opportunity and I thank you very much for making that possible.
Thank you."
– His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan,
49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... li-imamat/