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The Punjab government has imposed a ban on a Cambridge O-level book, citing alleged objectionable and controversial content, and its lack of approval from the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board (PCTB).
A notification issued by the School Education Department specifically prohibits the use of an O-level history book. Punjab’s Minister for School Education, Rana Sikandar Hayat, along with several government officials, confirmed this decision to local media.
Muhammad Akram Chaudhary, CEO of Bahawalpur’s district education authority, also acknowledged receiving the notification banning the textbook. Responding to concerns raised by students and parents, the notification clarified that the PCTB in Lahore has banned the textbook titled “The History and Culture of Pakistan” for O-level, authored by Nigel Kelly.
According to the PCTB notification, the book, “The History & Culture of Pakistan” by Nigel Kelly, is utilized in the Cambridge O-Level Pakistan Studies syllabus and allegedly contains objectionable and controversial material. The notification further asserts that the book has not received approval from the PCTB for use in educational institutions, emphasizing that it should not be employed as a textbook, supplementary reading material, reference book, or guide at any educational level.
Last year, the Federal Ministry of Education had banned two Cambridge books, “Sociology Course Book” and “The History and Culture of Pakistan,” in educational institutions in the federal capital, labeling their content as contradictory to Pakistan’s social and cultural traditions.