AGA KHAN VISITS MOZAMBIQUE</I> - 2004-06-25

Maputo - The Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili branch of Islam, began an official visit to Mozambique on Thursday, at the invitation of the Mozambican government. According to a press release from the Aga Khan Foundation, he attended a ceremony at which President Joaquim Chissano layed the first stone in the construction of an Aga Khan Academy in the southern city of Matola. This is the second in an international network of 20 academies, described by the Foundation as 'centres of excellence', and which will be run by the Aga Khan Educational Services. 'A major goal of the Academies,' the Aga Khan noted, would be 'to restore the public standing of the teaching profession so that future generations of educated men and women come to see in teaching a great, valid and rewarding opportunity in life.'