IN 2011, CHANNEL 4 launched their ‘Educating’ series, starting off with Educating Essex.
The documentary series gave an entertaining and realistic insight into the lives and behaviour of teenagers at school, as well as a behind the scenes look at what teachers get up to in the staff rooms.
After winning the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series, they kept the show running but have been moving location since.
This time around, the series is focusing on Educating Greater Manchester. The first episode aired just last night, but already viewers have been commending an 11-year-old Salford boy for the way in which he befriended a Syrian refugee who was just starting in his first English secondary school.
Jack and Rani appeared on This Morning earlier this week to discuss their friendship.
Jack spoke about why he decided to befriend Rani:
He was in the car by himself so I thought he needs a friend. So I thought, as a person I’ll go up to him and ask him “How are you? Where are you from?” He said “Syria”, and I took a step back because on the radio and the TV you hear bad things about [Syria]. I said, “Come and join us. Come and join our group”, and he did.
If the video won’t play, you can watch it here.
When Rani got into a bit of trouble at his new school for drawing a lewd picture in the back of a dirty van (the principal didn’t go too hard on him, agreeing that he would have gotten up to the exact same stuff as a kid), Jack tried his best to protect him.
Rani’s father Khaled is appreciative of Jack and an older boy who was also a refugee standing up for his son and helping him to settle in. He told Manchester Evening News:
He’s a good guy and done some nice things. Some children do wrong things but Jack helped my son.
Jack’s mother also told Manchester Evening News that she’s just as proud of him.
I’m just so proud of my son. That’s just Jack through and through. He will take anybody under his wing if he thinks his assistance will help them. If he sees anybody in any bother, he will go out of his way to make them feel welcome.
People on Twitter shared that kids like Jack who welcome refugees and help them settle in nicely at school are a credit to their parents.
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People are really enjoying watching the friendship of the two boys unfolding on TV.
