NEWS
Saroj Lal: a trailblazing teacher, campaigner and pioneer in race relations
Saroj Lal, who died in March at the age of 82, was one of Scotland’s pioneering race relations activists, feminists and equality campaigners in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, latterly as Director of Lothian Racial Equality Council. She was a trailblazer in the world
of multicultural education, fighting for fairness for all, and in particular for BAME communities, and was also the first Asian woman in Scotland to be appointed as a Justice of the Peace, in 1986. Here, her son Vineet tells her story and shares the thoughts of some of the people who knew her. Born and brought up in India,
Saroj migrated to Edinburgh in the late 1960s where she combined raising a young family with furthering her education. She trained as a teacher at (what was then) Moray House College of Education and gained her Post Graduate Certificate in Education in 1970. On 20th August 1970 she took up a teaching post at South Morningside Primary School, becoming the first BAME teacher in the school's history, one of the very first in Edinburgh and among the earliest in Scotland. Her training as a schoolteacher was instrumental in preparing her for her later work in multiculturalism and anti-racist education, as at the time so
the highlights of her career, her role in both education and race relations and the challenges she faced. They asked some brilliant questions on topics including Nelson Mandela, Saroj’s conflict with politicians, and BlackLivesMatter, and presented her family with a special garland with the motto:
There is only one race The great human race!
Professor Rowena Arshad, Chair in Multicultural and Anti-Racist Education
at the University of Edinburgh, and former Head of Moray House School of Education and Sport, knew Saroj well: “Being one of the first – if not the first – visible minority teachers, Saroj would have placed high expectations on herself, and for her this meant making a difference in the classroom and introducing a curriculum that more accurately represented people from around the world. “Saroj was a pioneer in the very
early days of race relations in Scotland. She entered teaching during the 'assimilationist' phase, when multicultural and anti-racist education were unknown concepts. She would have had to fly solo, and been incredibly resilient and creative in taking forward race equality.” Meanwhile, Valerie Singleton,
former presenter of BBC TV’s Blue Peter, said: “It is so rewarding to know that my time on Blue Peter was such an inspiration to Saroj Lal who passed on the values of the programme to her pupils at South Morningside Primary. Clearly these values were very close to her own. “She especially found our film Blue Peter Royal Safari, filmed in Kenya, a
Photo copyright Les Wilson
great inspiration and it led to her later work in race relations. Saroj was a very special and exceptional teacher, and without doubt she has created a future generation of adults who will be hugely concerned for the welfare of less fortunate children in the world.” Finally, Kathryn Wright, a former pupil, now Headteacher at Edinburgh’s
Dean Park Primary, recalled her time in Saroj’s class: “I was in her class at South Morningside when I was in P3 and have such positive memories of my time there. I thought Mrs Lal was extremely stylish and beautiful, with her red lipstick and gold bangles. Every day I’d look forward to seeing what sari she’d be wearing – she seemed so impossibly glamorous! “I absolutely love my role. It's a privilege to be able to work within a
community, and to have the opportunity to make a difference. Mrs Lal did that in such a powerful way, and I would have loved her to know she was a factor in my life choices.”
many of the teaching materials presented a skewed – and frankly prejudiced – view of developing countries. She would go on to challenge perceptions and stereotypes throughout her career, fighting for a more equal – and balanced – representation of minority ethnic communities in teaching materials and children’s books. During her time as a schoolteacher she took inspiration from
the BBC television programme Blue Peter, and its dynamic young presenter, Valerie Singleton (they were almost exactly the same age). At the time Blue Peter was one of very few children’s programmes to engage with diversity and children from other cultural backgrounds. On 20th August 2020, after Scotland’s schools had reopened after the
lockdown, pupils, teachers and former colleagues joined Saroj's family at South Morningside Primary to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her ground- breaking achievements and contribution to education in the city. The children of P7 had prepared a wonderful presentation on Saroj’s life,
12
www.education-today.co.uk September 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
