Abbyfield UK educators visit Mahaad School

Fifteen people from Abbyfield School in the UK of Chippenham Wiltshire recently conducted a weeklong educational visit to Mahaad Senior Secondary School in Jamisa of West Coast Region in Region two.

Speaking to this reporter at the end of their weeklong visit to the school, Mahaad School-Abbyfield link coordinator, Mathew Palmer, said the link was formed five years ago with the aim of improving the academic standards of both institutions.

Through Mahaad and Abbyfield link, Jamisa Lower Basic School has now been linked with Queen's Crescent School in the UK, and Presentation School in Jamisa also formed a link with Monkton Park School the UK.

"During our one-week stay in the school we held a meeting with Mahaad, Jamisa and Presentation schools and head teachers and the said schools fully appreciated the link," he said.

Mr Palmer said that during their visit they brought two laptops to Presentation School, three laptops and Jolly phonic materials to Jamisa School from Queen’s School in the UK.

Mr Palmer said that presently five Mahaad students and five Abbyfiled school students are currently studying business course sponsors by Chartered Management institute in UK. "For the five students in The Gambia, we gave them some study guidelines with supportive advice from Mr Gareth Jones, President of the Chippenham Chambers of Commerce, and Mr Mark Fuller, CMI Assessor," he said.

He said that five Mahaad students and two Mahaad teachers are working on the bronze award sponsors by ASDAN in the UK, "which will help" both students and teachers with new skills and also attend five-day training through the TILOO solar technology charity.

He said they have brought two important projects of two solar ovens and two solar driers with sponsorship from Abbyfield community and Gareth Jones on behalf of the Company Tribe in the UK, for the curriculum development to run business in the school and the money generated from the business used as financial support and school resources to help needy students, while Mahaad and Abbyfield schools have applied for funding from the British Council recently.

"If that funds is approved by the council, two Mahaad students will make an educational visit to Abbyfield School in UK next year," he said.

The Wiltshire Council has recognised Mahaad-Abbyfield partnership as the best practice and has been shared with other schools in Wiltshire, Mr Palmer concluded.