Ghanaian headmistress visits Newcastle Sixth Form College on her first ever trip overseas

26 October

Geordie students, the Tyne Bridge, Angel of the North and the Metro Centre will be etched in the memory of Ghanaian headmistress Margaret Mensah forever.

The 56-year-old has left her native home of Ghana for the first time to visit Newcastle Sixth Form College students as part of an exchange programme that began five years ago and has developed into a friendship.

She is staying with the sixth form’s Head of Earth Studies, Deborah Johnson, during a two-week trip that will see her visit a wealth of Tyneside hot spots, as well as a stay in London and visits to Parliament and the studio of Jools Holland Live.

As the Domestic Headmistress of the Tweneboa Kodua Secondary High School in Kumawu, where life is a lot different to here, Margaret is responsible for the boarding side of the school.

She has never left Ghana before, or travelled on a plane, so her visit to Newcastle has proved exciting in more ways than one.

Margaret said: “I am very excited to be here and to finally meet some of the students that Deborah teaches.

“We have been friends for five years now, so it is wonderful for me to finally be able to come to Newcastle Sixth Form College and study the teaching and learning methods, and look at how students answer questions and use different resources and textbooks.

“It is interesting for me to see how lessons are blocked and how the college uses different pieces of equipment to teach.

“I’m doing so many wonderful things – including a visit to the Houses of Parliament – so they are making me feel like a very important person. It is a trip that I won’t ever forget.”

Since the relationship was first formed, Deborah has visited Ghana three times, but this latest trip by Margaret has been funded through a grant from the British Council, which helps to share British expertise and talent with over 100 countries worldwide.

Deborah said: “I have been to Ghana a few times, so it is wonderful that Margaret is finally here in Newcastle to see how we do things. I know she has been incredibly excited.

“While here, she is observing in college and helping with classes and she will also deliver lessons on life in Ghana and how it differs from here. Margaret is learning from us, but there is also so much we can learn from her.

“We have a visit to Usworth Colliery Primary School planned, along with visits to Parliament, the Metro Centre and St John’s University in York.

“It will be a packed two weeks, but we hope Margaret gains a lot from it and we sincerely hope she is able to come back and see us again one day.”