When Lal Rehan was growing up in a small town in Punjab, India, he gained a passion for education and was inspired to follow in his teacher’s footsteps.
Wanting to join a career that would make a difference to children’s lives, he studied for a Masters in education and taught for a year.
But one day after reading that the UK was in need of teachers, he decided to take the leap and moved to London aged 23.
After training for a year in London in 1969, Mr Rehan gained his first role at Cruddas Park Primary School, Elswick and became one of the first Asian teachers in Newcastle.
And Mr Rehan dedicated 33 years of his life paving a pathway for hundreds of children from overseas by helping to combat language barriers and cultural differences.
(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
Mr Rehan, from Chapel House, said: “The difference was enormous compared to education in India.
“In India, it was syllabus based education, that you teach children a subject and at the end of the year there was…
