COMMENT | Hatred is not inborn. It is cultivated over a period of time with the environment and surrounding people. Children learn hate at home or in school where they are taught certain groups or races are to be avoided.

Inculcating good values, exemplary conduct, and positive attitudes, the children’s young minds can be moulded into being good citizens of the country.

But when children are taught to define their identity through race or religion, it often leads to a sense of “we” that is characteristically built on excluding the “others”.

We send our children to school to get an education and be taught good values, understanding, and respect for each other.

So, the question is, why are some teachers gratuitous in spreading and encouraging hatred? Do they not lack a sense of common humanity? Why is compassion often limited to in-group, religion, and ethnicity...