THIS is apropos the letter ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’ (Nov 21). The writer has aptly pointed out the need to scrap the outdated contents from our textbooks.

Our textbooks need to address the issue of increasing violence and extremism. In this respect I would like to suggest that Mr Chips be replaced by Elif Shafak’s book The Forty Rules of Love.

This would be a valuable addition to our textbooks. The author has conducted a thorough research on the lives of Maulana Rumi and Shams Al Tabriz.

One hopes that introduction of such works will not only develop tolerance in our youth but will also help them learn about other cultures as well as English literature.

Second, the recent transformations in knowledge sharing have made it mandatory for textbook boards to revise the contents every three years. Only then can we deal effectively with contemporary issues.

Arshad Mahmood

Mardan

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2017