Learning from one another

QE has been hosting a secondary school teacher from Ghana as part of a teacher exchange programme run by the British Council.

Anthony Yeboah is a teacher at Ampomfi Junior High School in Osiem in the east of the country, just over 30 miles from the capital, Accra. During his week at QE, Mr Yeboah observed a number of lessons across the curriculum, enjoyed a tour of the School with the Headmaster and ate lunch with staff in the dining hall.

Through the exchange programme, teachers and pupils from the two schools learn about their respective ways of life, as well as finding out more about different approaches to teaching and learning.

Head of Geography Guy Boyes, who will return the visit to Ghana in the spring, said: “I am not yet sure whether his school has such a formal and academic environment for learning as ours, but he was very keen to find out as much as he could about school life here.”

Mr Yeboah attended registration sessions with Mr Boyes’ form each day. “The boys had created a welcome poster and an information pack, and gave him Christmas cards. The visit definitely promoted interest in Ghana and, particularly, in the Ampomfi School, amongst our boys,” added Mr Boyes. Towards the end of the week, a form of Year 9 geographers presented work they have undertaken on a joint project between the two schools.

The Ghanaian school has approximately 300 pupils between the ages of 11 and 18 on the roll, split into three classes. Lessons take place between 8.00 am in the morning until 2.00 pm in the afternoon. Some of the parents have a number of jobs to provide an income and many are employed by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, which is based at Osiem. The institute undertakes research into how to prevent diseases that attack cocoa and coffee crops.

A letter from the school’s Headmaster, George Kumah, which was sent with Mr Yeboah, stated: “The staff and students of Osiem Amponfi Junior High School wish to express their warmest felicitations and greetings to the Headmaster, teachers and students of Queen Elizabeth’s School.”

Mr Boyes is now looking forward to the return part of the exchange, when he will travel to Ghana in the Easter holidays.