Tales of Kashmir brought to life for Rotherham children
06 April 2011
The folk tales of Kashmir have taken on new meaning for children at four Rotherham Schools following a collaboration with partner schools in Pakistan and the release of a stunning new book.
‘Kashmiri Folk Tales’ retold and illustrated by children in Rotherham and Kotli will be launched at a special ceremony at Oakwood Technology College on Thursday (7 April) attended by Her Worship the Mayor of Rotherham, Councillor Rose McNeely and children, parents and teachers from the schools involved.
Created by teachers and pupils from four schools in Rotherham - Sitwell Infant School, Sitwell Junior School, Canklow Woods Primary and Oakwood Technology College - and four schools in Kotli which are linked through the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme, the book features nine traditional folk tales from Kashmir written in English and Urdu. The stories were compiled by children of Pakistani heritage in Rotherham and by Pakistani students in Kotli. School children in Rotherham then illustrated the book.
Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council said: “This is a project which celebrates the strong shared history and relationships the UK has with communities in Azad Kashmir, where around 70% of the British Pakistani Diaspora comes from. This project will, I know, help strengthen those relations even further.”
The Mayor of Rotherham, Councillor Rose McNeely, said: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to launch this book which reflects how we celebrate the wonderful diversity of our borough through our commitment to the concept of ‘One Town, One Community’. This work is also a great example of the excellent international links Rotherham has with communities across the world.”
Curriculum Adviser for Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, Beverley Booker, who initiated the project said: “I hope this new book will benefit children across the UK and Pakistan by making Kashmiri folk tales accessible to a young new audience. All the teachers and students worked incredibly hard on making this book. Given the success of it, I am sure we will be doing more.”
Raja Zulkernain Khan, the President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir said at the launch in Pakistan last month that he recognised some of the folk tales from his childhood. "It is wonderful to have brought out such a book. There is a large population of people from Kashmir in the UK, some even third or fourth generation and it is important. We need to know more about each other’s cultures."
Under the Connecting Classrooms programme, internationally linked schools devise and run joint curriculum projects to enhance learning and understanding across their different societies. Creating a book of Kashmiri folk tales seemed an ideal way of getting the schools of Pakistan and the UK to work together and share their knowledge, culture and aspirations.
The book will be distributed among the schools involved and to other Connecting Classrooms schools in the UK.
For more information please contact Sharon Williams at the British Council on 0207 389 4808 or Sharon.williams@britishcouncil.org
Note to Editors
Connecting Classrooms
Connecting Classrooms builds lasting partnerships between schools in the UK and others around the world. Through these partnerships, the programme develops understanding and trust between young people in different societies, creating a safer and more connected world for the future. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/connectingclassrooms
The British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build opportunity and trust for the UK through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people. We work in the Arts, English, Education and Society, including science and sport - and in the process contribute to the security and prosperity of the UK and the countries where we work. Last year we engaged face to face with 18.4 million people and reached 652 million. We are a non-political organisation which operates at arm’s length from government. Our total turnover in 2009/10 was £705 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £211 million. For every £1 of government grant we receive, we earn £2.50 from other sources. For more information, please visit: www.britishcouncil.org
