Ulster teacher tells world's racists to '#@?# off!'

The rest of the world's leaders may have been (conveniently) scared off by the presence of controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but it takes more than a fiery speech to keep a Belfast teacher at bay.

Especially when that teacher is the doughty Avril Hall Callaghan, leader of the UIster Teachers' Union, a partner organisation with Amnesty International in the brilliant Lift Off! education project.

Avril addressed the UN 'Durban review' world conference on racism in Geneva on Wednesday, showcasing the Lift Off! initiative to some of the world's most influential decision-makers.

Lift Off!, a set of three education resources for junior, mid and senior age-ranges within primary schools, has now been introduced to every school in Northern Ireland and is in regular use in many schools both north and south of the border. It fits perfectly within the revised curriculum in NI and is helping to address problems from racism to bullying within the school and community environment.

The materials, developed by local teachers with support from Amnesty, especially for use in schools here, have now been seized on by educationalists and rights campaigners from as far apart as New Zealand, Israel and Zimbabawe.

Let's hope some of the Iranian President's entourage packed a few sample copies in the luggage for the return trip to Tehran.