About the Head of School
Aliya Hashim is the co-founder and Head of School for Ivy since its inception in 2018. Prior to founding Ivy, Hashim has experience working in the low-income education sector of Karachi, where she rolled out multiple grassroots reading programs in over 30 slum schools. She led dramatic improvements in reading outcomes for students of all age groups, and increased retention of girl students in schools through counselling and awareness programs.
Hashim currently sits on the board of Bright Day Big Blocks - a global collective of play advocates from around the world. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi, and a Masters in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
At the core of Hashim's educational philosophy is a focus on play-based , project-based and personalised learning approaches for all children and a desire to build professional learning communities for teacher leadership. She hopes Ivy is recognised for its innovative tailored approach to education, its focus on high quality projects, and its deep love for community service.
"We are a personalized learning school. We are a differentiated school, and that means there are varying levels of ability in the classroom that we are catering to. as per their level, which means we meet every student where they are"
Welcome message
What do we look for in a school? As a parent, I was searching for a school in Karachi where I could feel beyond the school walls and campus to the heart of the facility. I wanted to know the values that make the school what it is, the community that the school was trying to build, whether my child would be able to develop their creativity and potential in this environment. Whether they would be able to develop into lifelong learners.
Working on the curriculum for Ivy, I have kept these thoughts alive every step of the way. At Ivy, we have a unique approach to education, which is founded on principles of inquiry. Through the three components of our curriculum - collaborative inquiry, skills proficiency and whole-child learning - we seek to build higher-order thinking and intellectual adventurousness. We have a strong focus on character development because we believe it is important to teach our children to exercise independent judgement to help them reflect better on matters of value.
Ivy is a place of love and learning where children come alive to their individuality and curiosity - where young people feel safe enough to make mistakes and try again - where they learn not because they have to, but because they want to. Children engage with one another, have deep and meaningful discussions, share ‘big ideas’, and learn immersively through hands-on activities, all while growing as individuals within a community of learners.
As you catch your first glimpse of Ivy, I welcome you again to our school, and invite you to take a look at our philosophy and mission. Please feel free to reach out to us and allow us to share our experience with you.
Ivy is a place of love and learning where children come alive to their individuality and curiosity - where young people feel safe enough to make mistakes and try again - where they learn not because they have to, but because they want to. Children engage with one another, have deep and meaningful discussions, share ‘big ideas’, and learn immersively through hands-on activities, all while growing as individuals within a community of learners.