Pakistan’s Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (PEIRA) has banned certain Cambridge textbooks for their content related to LGBTQ issues and misrepresentation of Pakistan’s map.
The banned textbooks include Sociology by Jonathan Blundell of Cambridge University Press and The History and Culture of Pakistan by Nigel Kelly of Peck Publishing Limited/Danish Publishing Private Limited, which was being taught in O-levels.
PEIRA has prohibited the printing, publishing, distribution, and teaching of these books and ordered educational institutions to submit an implementation report by May 10.
According to the Federal Secretary of Education and Vocational Training, Waseem Ajmal Chaudhry, the content of these books goes against Pakistan’s socio-cultural values and did not have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Curriculum Wing.
The move is in accordance with Section Four A of the PEIRA Act, and legal action will be taken against violators.