Devon County Council

From David Hutchings, Exeter 382594, November 19, 2008

AN EXETER headteacher is spending a term in Africa to help develop school leadership in one of its poorest countries.

Geoff Williams, the head of St Leonard's Primary, leaves for Namibia after Christmas and will be there until Easter.

Mr Williams will be helping school leaders develop their skills, supporting school inspectors and advisers and helping with training and coaching.

He will be based in Ohangwena which is near the Angolan border.

Mr Williams will be sponsored in Africa under a scheme run by Voluntary Service Overseas, the National College for School Leadership and the National Association of Head Teachers.

His secondment was announced this week in International Education Week.

St Leonard's will receive a grant while he is away and his deputy, Judith Douglas, will be acting head for the term.

Mr Williams, who has been an Exeter head for 17 years, said: "I wanted to help in the developing world.

"I saw this advertised in the summer and decided to apply and I was successful.

"A quarter of the working population in Namibia has HIV, it is a highly malarial country and most of the population in Ohangwena exist on less than a dollar a day.

"It will obviously be a huge contrast to Exeter but I am really looking forward to working abroad."

Mr Williams has previously spent some time in Kenya where he was the Church of England's Diocesan link.

"I will be working with groups of schools and groups of headteachers and helping to support their inspection staff," he said.

"But no matter how much I read about life in Namibia, I doubt anything will prepare me for the realities of existence there."

Mr Williams said when he has any time off he hopes to be able to see some of the country and some of its animal life.

NOTE TO NEWS EDS: For more information, contact Geoff Williams on 01392 666570.

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