CUMBRIAN teachers are set to visit Tanzania for a Connecting Classrooms project, funded by The British Council.

Teachers from primary schools, St Herbert’s in Cockermouth, Bassenthwaite Primary School in Keswick, High Hesket in Carlisle and Dearham Primary School will visit the Moshi area of Tanzania.

Cumbrian classrooms have linked-up with Tanzania since 2015 when High Hesket Primary School visited Mrawi Primary School thanks to funds from The British Council.

Collaborative work on the trip will be in line with one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, “Quality Education for All.”

Global coordinator Jen Ager said: “Our relationship with Mrawi Primary School has progressed in recent years from sending annual donations for school supplies collected at school events, to a more meaningful, professional partnership.”

Jen said: “It was wonderful to see the interactions between the children and the staff and the questions that the children asked showed real curiosity, critical thinking and awareness of global development.”

Since the initial link-up High Hesket have raised funds for the primary school to build new toilet and kitchen blocks as well as sky lights for the classrooms.

The students found pen-pals in the Tanzanian children who taught them Swahili words for pets and food.

Tanzanian teachers visited Cumbria two months later to teach at the Carlisle school.

Dearham, Bassenthwaite and St Herbet’s schools will this year join the project, flying out in February to teach the pupils and show them the project work that their students have been doing in class.

And the schools are raising funds to support the trip with teachers from Tanzania hoping to visit Cumbria in June.