During the 1930s the British Colonial Office was beginning to grasp its duty to provide education for the young people of Uganda. The overwhelming majority of schools were provided by the Anglican and Catholic churches, but they were receiving some government finance and so subject to inspection by British inspectors working for the Ugandan civil service.
One of these was a Scotswoman that the Anglican Bishop Stuart, who was based at Kampala, complained of. In retirement he recalled how she had turned up to inspect one of his schools, and gave it poor marks and a bad report.
This surprised him, since he knew his schools, and this was a good one. However, on enquiring, he was told that nobody responded to her questions because nobody understood a word she said.
We can reflect in the words of Scotland’s National Poet:
O wad some Power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae mony a blunder free us,
An’ foolish notion.
Robert Burns, To a Louse.
In particular, as parents or teachers, to see ourselves as children see us. We won’t find out by asking them, but by watching them in our presence.
Bishop Cyril Stuart was often at odds with his Christians, but when he retired to Worcester, he and his wife Mary were presented with a ceremonial scroll, on which they were portrayed with dark skin, because they were seen as one with their Ugandan Christian brothers and sisters. His memoirs are in Lambeth Palace Library. (see p 17).