Susanna Wilkey TEACHERS from Camden have been following in their students footsteps and turning to the art of graffiti to make a point. A group of nine teachers from South Camden (SCCS), Hampstead, Edith Neville, Acland Burghley, Maria Fidelis and Camden

Susanna Wilkey

TEACHERS from Camden have been following in their students' footsteps and turning to the art of graffiti to make a point.

A group of nine teachers from South Camden (SCCS), Hampstead, Edith Neville, Acland Burghley, Maria Fidelis and Camden School for Girls drew on the Palestine-Israel separation wall on a trip to the West Bank.

They were visiting the town of Adu Dis, outside Jerusalem, as part of a British Council-funded scheme to bridge international education and build links.

Gerry Robinson, geography teacher at SCCS, said: "It was an amazing experience and quite life-changing for me. I thought before I left that I knew a lot about Palestine because I read the newspapers and watch television, but until you actually go there you have not seen the reality and how hard things are. On the Palestinian side of the wall there is a lot of graffiti and the Camden teachers got involved. I have never graffitied anything in my life and it was liberating.

"Obviously, you worry about doing it but cars were driving past and hooting and everyone was being very supportive. South Camden is twinned with the UN school there so it was great to go to see the teachers and students.

"The scheme which the trip was part of was about promoting human rights as well as global citizenship and it involves teacher and student exchanges. SCCS is really supportive and is aiming for an international school award. We are officially twinned with the UN school, as well as two schools in Africa."

The Camden teachers taught in the partner schools and observed how education works in Palestine. They also met Palestinian education ministers who are equally keen to forge links.

Spanish teacher Remedios Gil said: "I really enjoyed the trip. The school was amazing as were the students. It was great to see our twin school.

"The students are really enthusiastic and well behaved and it was a pleasure to teach them. They have a really good command of English and a great relationship with their teachers and there was a great focus on education.

"I have always been interested in Palestine and have read a lot about it. But when I got there it was not as I imagined, I was surprised by how small it is. It feels confined for the people who live there.

"Palestine has a very young population and there are a lot of people in a small area.