| FROM
SMALL BEGINNINGS
Mr Ranjit Dheer was
born in India in 1942 and moved to the United Kingdom in 1966. He
spent much of his early years in a village so small it did not
even have a primary school. When his family moved to a town,
Ranjit was able to attend the local secondary school, eventually
making his way to university. After completing his degree he took
up a lecturing post at a provincial government college in the
southern part of Panjab, where he worked until he left India for
the UK.
Education and
career in the UK
Following the initial
difficulties associated with a move to a different country, he
completed a postgraduate teachers training course at Bristol
University and started his career with the then Inner London
Education Authority (ILEA). He gained a Master's degree from
London University in the early 80s. Moving through advisory and
inspector posts, he was appointed as Assistant Director of
Education in an Inner London Borough in 1989. He changed course in
his professional work by moving away from Local Authority
employment in 1993 and into the voluntary sector. He is currently
employed as a Director of a Race Equality Council outside London.
Service on council
and committees
Ranjit was first
elected as a Councillor for the Dormers Wells Ward in 1982. He
served two terms until new legislation prohibiting senior local
authority employees from political activity forced him to resign.
Following his move away from local authority employment, Ranjit
returned to Council in a by-election in 1996.
During his first stint
as a Councillor, Ranjit served on various committees, including
Education, Local Services, Personnel, Planning, Social Services
and a number of panels and working groups. He was elected Chair of
the Race Equality Committee of the then Association of London
Authorities in 1986. He served as Deputy Council Leader from 1988
to 1990. He has also served as a governor of a number of primary
and secondary schools in the borough.
Other interests
Ranjit has been active
in a number of local community groups. He enjoys travelling and
studying different societies, cultures and faiths. His interests
include the welfare of children and animals, walking in the hills,
cooking, music, literature, arts and the theatre. He has written
two books in Panjabi on the lives of migrant settlers in Europe
and North America. His second book published in 1994 won a
literary prize.
Source: http://www.ealing.gov.uk/mayor/biography.htm
|
