Two schoolteachers have been announced as the joint winners of a Scottish award for “trailblazers” in multicultural and antiracist education.

The 2022 General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) Saroj Lal Award for a Pioneering Spirit in Equality and Diversity has gone to Catherine (Katie) D’Souza, a primary teacher at Newark Primary in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, and Carrie McWilliam, an English teacher at Speyside High in Aberlour, Moray.

They have been described by awards organisers as “truly pioneers for their schools and local communities”.

The award celebrates the work of teachers who actively challenge discrimination, demonstrating a pioneering spirit and determination, in a bid to promote and facilitate a culture and ethos of equality and diversity.

It is named in honour of Saroj Lal, who in the 1970s was at the forefront of multicultural and antiracist education in its early years in Scotland.

Her son and award panellist Vineet Lal said this year’s winners had gone “above and beyond in their efforts to champion these core values through their work” and exemplified the award’s principles “magnificently”.

He added: “Just like Saroj, who began her pioneering journey half a century ago, this year’s winners are true trailblazers and are an inspiration to their pupils, peers and communities.”

Ms D’Souza helped a pupil group that campaigned for equality and diversity by creating antiracism posters to be displayed around their school and community. She is also supporting work to deliver learning on Inverclyde’s link to the slave trade to all S2s in the local authority this year.

As a child of dual heritage growing up in a village in Scotland in the 1980s, she has always been very aware of the impact of racism in our communities and schools.

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“When I embarked upon my career in teaching, I found that the issues I had encountered as a learner were sadly still embedded in practice in our schools, and I felt strongly that I had a duty to try to address this in my own classroom and beyond,” said Ms D’Souza. 

“I am acutely aware that I am just one small part of a large and growing collective of like-minded individuals who are working hard every day in their classrooms and communities to change hearts and minds one child, one class, one staffroom, one community at a time, working towards true equality and diversity in education.

“My achievements are no more special than theirs, so I proudly accept this award on behalf of all of us.”

Ms D’Souza (pictured below) is “inspired daily by the tremendous young people, families and staff team of Newark Primary”, and she also paid tribute to Mélina Valdelièvre - the lead specialist for race equality at Education Scotland - and other teachers and Education Scotland staff involved in the national Building Racial Literacy programme, as well as the Scottish global citizenship body WOSDEC.

Carrie McWilliam (pictured below), since joining Speyside High in 2020 to complete her probation year, has been central to improving the experiences of young people at the school who may experience discrimination and feel sidelined.

She said: “What makes all of the work worth it is knowing that as a teacher, you have created an environment where young people can show up as they are, as who they are, knowing they will be accepted in their entirety and will accept others as they are in return.

“I took it on as a personal goal to ensure that the young people entering my class would feel valued and safe as themselves. I wanted to act quickly - first in my own teaching - but this quickly developed into a whole-school project as I volunteered for roles that would both support and lead this change.”

Dr Pauline Stephen, GTCS chief executive and registrar, said: “Our schools and learning communities are enriched with a diverse mix of people with different experiences and from different cultures and backgrounds, from the children and young people to the teachers who work with them.  

“Winners of the Saroj Lal Award are inspirational in their work to promote equality and diversity. Through their leadership, they are moving the profession, and society, closer to realising this aspiration.”

Award panellist Professor Rowena Arshad, chair in multicultural and antiracist education at the University of Edinburgh, said: “The Saroj Lal Award recognises those who are prepared to step out of their comfort zone to make a difference in the area of equality and anti-discrimination. It is really exciting that in 2022, this award goes to two teachers.”

She said that both had “recognised the need to use the formal curriculum to provide opportunities for young people to confront stereotypes, to challenge prejudice and to be comfortable with diversity”, and added: “I hope receiving this award spurs them to continue to be teachers that dare to make a difference.”