PUPILS are sharing the experiences of teachers who visited South Africa.

Eleven teachers from Sunderland spent a week in Pretoria on a government-run scheme looking at citizenship education.

One of the aims was to establish links between South African schools and those in Sunderland.

The trip included a cultural evening in a tribal village, a walk in a nature reserve and a safari.

An evening of African culture will be held on Tuesday at Hylton Red House School, the first of a series of events in which pupils will hear of their teachers' experiences.

Elaine Marsden, citizenship support teacher, said: "The visit has enabled Sunderland teachers to see citizenship working at grass-roots level and impacting across whole schools and communities.

"We spent six days in a wide variety of schools from white, Afrikaans private schools, with their own gym and drama theatre, to black township schools, where pupils received their only meal of the day.

"It was an experience full of emotion and contrast, and one that the teachers are not likely to ever forget.

"Particularly memorable moments included a visit to an Aids hospice for abandoned children, seeing how an inspirational headteacher transformed his school despite previous apartheid restrictions."