Students from Nath Valley School welcomed visitors from their partner school in Wales on Monday, as part of a UK government-funded education initiative to widen young people’s knowledge of the world around them.

Teachers from Ysgol Bryn Alyn in Gwersyllt have come to Nath Valley, Aurangabad to build links with staff and students as part of the Global School Partnerships programme. Funded by UKaid from the Department for International Development, the programme supports partnerships between schools in the UK and schools in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean to learn about global issues.

Students at Nath Valley feel that It’s so important for schools to have partnerships like ours. According to them, “Through sharing information with our friends in the UK, and meeting the teachers this week, we’ve found out what life is actually like in Wales. This partnership is helping us develop a strong bond of friendship with students in Wales.”

The visit has given Mrs. Katherine Phillips & Mr. Daniel Trueman the opportunity to work with teachers and students at Nath Valley to plan the next stages of the schools’ joint project. During their stay at Aurangabad they will be interacting with students, teachers and a few parents. They will be observing lessons and taking a few as well.

Mrs Phillips said: “This has been a fantastic opportunity to visit our partners here in Aurangabad and work together. We are here to share our experiences and to take experiences from here back to Wales.” Mr. Trueman was highly impressed by the warm welcome extended to them and he found India to be a very beautiful country.

Schools involved in the Global School Partnerships scheme receive grants and support to visit their partner school and develop projects together, with the aim of developing young people’s commitment to a fairer, more sustainable world. The students of Nath Valley School have been working with Ysgol Bryn Alyn on themes like Sustainable Development.

Principal Mr. Dass said, “Our Global School Partnership scheme has made the world outside real and personal for our students. The opportunity to share ideas and work together face-to-face with our colleagues from Wales is very motivating for everyone involved. This partnership has enabled us to work inline with our mission statement which states that we have to develop World Citizens”