An article drumming up support for ‘integration’ that appeared in Times of Malta carries the baffling assertion that so-called “integration programmes” should start at a young age “because young children do not make a distinction between different people”.

As a former child myself, I am eminently qualified to trounce this statement as fiddle-faddle. It is certainly true that children are gullible and Santa Claus eligible, which is why most religious indoctrination happens when their analytical brains are as yet undeveloped, but the statement that they make no distinction between people is completely untrue.

They understand who their parents are, they understand who their friends are, they understand who the ‘cool’ kids are and they identify with and seek out the company of like-minded tots.

Ask any parent.

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