Quality education at all levels is, and has been, critically important for all societies at all times. In the developing world, education offers the poor opportunities for new futures: women with higher status and new roles in their families and communities; migrants with an asset that is portable; and refugees with an asset that is both portable and secure.

It is my dream that private individuals and organisations will come to the support of culture

Cultures that do not or cannot communicate become increasingly isolated, inward-looking, and, in due course, marginalised.

For cultures in the developing world to be globally accessible, understood, respected and admired, and to be represented in electronic communications, they must ensure that their cultures find expression not only in the national language, but also in English.

If the cultures and value systems of the developing world are being challenged -- or are believed to be under threat - I think it valuable to try to identify the nature of the challenges. For the sake of discussion, I would put the major issues under the headings of language, institutions, people, communications, and funding.

Islam places special importance on the value of education. Learning is ennobling. Teaching is one of the most valued professions because it opens minds to greater self-awareness as well as to the knowledge that gives learners greater control over their destinies.

Without the establishment of institutions like the Profession Development Centre, rural populations have no hope of succeeding in this world of increasingly rapid change.

You can build new buildings, but if you cannot find quality men and women to implement the programmes and to give them the confidence that their programmes will be able to continue and grow in the future, you ve achieved nothing.

No matter how poor or isolated the population, efforts to improve health and education standards are just as important as improvements in agricultural productivity and the economy of other sectors.

The ethics of Islam enjoin all believers, individually or through institutions such as the Ismaili Imamat, to assist the poor, the isolated, and the marginalised to improve their current circumstances and future prospects.