Friday, 30 October 2009 08:19 Four FE colleges are to be twinned with institutions in Nigeria and Ghana to give students and teachers the opportunity to visit and work at their international counterparts.

According to a recent study, 80 per cent of Nigerian school leavers have a desire to study in the UK. However, less than a third are granted a visa by the UK Border Agency. The tie-up hopes to enable more of these students to fulfil their academic ambitions.

James Pitman, managing director of Study Group, which is organising the initiative, said: "By forging stronger links with colleges in Nigeria and Ghana, pupils and staff will be able to gain a better insight into each others cultures and ways of working. It is just this type of international dimension that places the British education system among the best in the world."

The programme will see Bellerbys Cambridge twinned with the Zamani College in Nigeria and Achimota School in Ghana. London Bellerbys will be paired with Nigeria's Danbo International College in Kaduna, while Bellerbys Oxford will be twinned with Livingspring International School in Nigeria.

John Rushton, principal of Bellerbys College and Embassy CES Cambridge, added: "This is a wonderful opportunity for our own staff and students as well as for the schools and colleges based in Ghana and Nigeria. Study Group has an excellent reputation for assisting foreign students in achieving their goals of studying in the UK, helping over 15,000 students achieve this each year.

"We are now able to offer our students and teachers experiences that they may not otherwise have had access to and we hope the partnership will be a long and successful one."

(Pictured: John Ogungbero, principal of Danbo International School)