Isle of Wight centenarian awarded honorary teaching degree

Madge Brown finally got a chance to don a mortar board during the ceremony held in front of friends and family

A 101-year-old woman has been awarded an honorary degree more than eight decades after qualifying as a teacher.

Madge Brown, who lives in Ryde on the Isle of Wight, graduated with a diploma in physical education in 1942 after three years of study and training.

The University of London said Mrs Brown and others who became teachers at that time deserved the level of recognition they would have received today.

She received the degree on the same day as 94-year-old Sheila Gordon.

Prof Mary Stiasny (left) visited the Isle of Wight to give the degrees to Mrs Brown (centre) and Mrs Gordon (right)

Both reside on the Isle of Wight and attended the now-defunct Nonington College of Physical Education in London during the 1940s.

Mrs Brown said she felt "rather old" to finally be getting a bachelor of education degree, and described her time training as a teacher as "the happiest days of my life".

"I'm very grateful for this - but it has been a long time coming," she said.

"When I left college, they always said it should be a proper graduation because of the hard work we did.

"Why they never made the diploma of physical education a degree I don't know, because it was very intense."

Mrs Brown, pictured in the centre of a doorway while at her teaching college, said felt "rather old" to finally be receiving the degree

Teachers were typically trained on two-year or three-year certificate courses at training college until the 1980s, but this was later replaced with the requirement for all trainees to complete a graduate or postgraduate course.

A University of London spokesperson said it was working to present all those who gained teaching certificates from the now non-existent teaching colleges in the city with degrees to recognise "their dedication to teaching and enriching the lives of young people".