Canterbury Mornings

The Race Relations Commissioner says education is needed around refugees' real circumstances.There's been criticism that Middleton Grange School's mufti-day World Vision refugee fundraiser was in bad taste - with students coming to school in old, ragged clothing.Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy told Chris Lynch the school was well intentioned, but a lot of refugees are professionals and the whole story needs to be told."It's continuing that stigmatisation that refugees are poor people or who come from impoverished backgrounds. We need to change that."Middleton Grange School says the student-led initiative was to help students think about what being a refugee child in war-torn Syria could be like. "We are asking children to dress as refugees in old ragged clothes if possible," the school reportedly told parents.Experiencing being poor was a good was to develop understanding and compassion, it said.LISTEN TO SUSAN DEVOY TALK WITH CHRIS LYNCH ABOVE