Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether officials in her Department have held discussions with the Pakistan Government on the inclusion of religious tolerance in textbooks as part of the Punjab Education Support Programme.

Working in partnership with the Government of Punjab DFID has supported the Punjab Curriculum and Text Book Board to redesign specific textbooks for children in grades one to five. DFID Pakistan officials hold regular meetings with the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board on progress to redesign textbooks to improve their quality and make them more inclusive. It remains the responsibility of the Punjab Textbook Board to approve the redesigned books and to fund their printing and distribution.