John Hallett obituary

My father, John Hallett, who has died aged 97, had a long career in education that took him all over the world.

In 1960, John flew to Ghana with his young family to take up a position teaching undergraduates maths and physics at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi. There, he was an examiner for the West African Examinations Council and chief examiner for O-level, and wrote a physics O-level textbook for use in West African schools. As a Methodist lay preacher, he also preached regularly at village churches.

In 1966, he relocated to Ahmadu Bello University in Northern Nigeria just as the area was rocked by political violence and pogroms. As the situation worsened, John returned to the UK and joined the education department at Trent Polytechnic (now Nottingham Trent University) where he was involved in initiatives such as the generalist education degree, and worked with VSO to train volunteers. His concern with the environment led him to co-write, with Brian Harvey, the textbook Environment and Society in 1977.

Born in Thornton Heath, south London, to Dennis Hallett, a civil servant, and Doris (nee Wilson), John grew up in north Harrow, where he witnessed the blitz during the second world war, including seeing the home of one of his school friends destroyed, killing the friend and his family.

In 1944, aged 16, he left the local grammar school to take an apprenticeship in the design office of the de Havilland aircraft company, which was a protected occupation. As a Christian pacifist, however, John eventually concluded that he could no longer work on military projects, and left in 1952.

He trained as a teacher at Westminster College, and in 1955 took up a teaching post at Chatham Technical College, Kent. That same year he married Cecily Leakey, whom he had met through their Methodist church, and who later also trained as a teacher. While working, John enrolled at City University in London for a part-time physics and maths degree, obtaining a first in 1959.

The couple had had three children, me, Aidan and Claire, before leaving for Ghana, and another, Greg, was born while there. The family came back to the UK in 1967, and on John’s return the following year moved to Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire.

John retired from Trent in 1987, and set up a charity, Senior Volunteer Network, which sent volunteer retired teachers overseas to work on educational projects.

Cecily died in 1995. John remained active until his 90s, including doing a skydive for his 90th birthday, but his sight loss increasingly restricted his activities. In 2022 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Greg died in 2020. John is survived by me, Aidan and Claire, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.