The Ministry of Education announced on 7 March that it has not publish the textbooks “Introduction to Pyithu Niti (Social studies)” which include introduction to the four major religions of the world. The announcement came after criticism on the textbooks by some social media users. The Ministry statement said the textbooks were published by the Centre for Diversity and National Harmony (CDNH) and they were not approved by the national curriculum committee. The statement said CDNH has published a total of 17 textbooks, which include 11 books for each academic year (kindergarten to 10th grade), teachers guidebooks for primary, secondary and tertiary classes. The ministry issued the statement after the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) said the textbooks were unacceptable. The ultra-nationalist groups have also criticized the textbook using social media. CDNH said in a statement issued on 5 March that the textbooks it published were not concern to any government agencies. The statement said the textbooks were to teach youth, with an aim to produce talented people for the country. The textbooks on health, environmental protection, peace building, human rights issues and leadership quality are also published. The statement said introduction on four main religions of the world- Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are included in the textbooks for the third and fourth grade classes. It said the textbook were published after consultation with the religious leaders as well as those who are experts in social studies (Pyithu Niti) CDNH led by Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing who was advisor of former president U Thein Sein. Reference: Facebook pages of CDNH and The Mirror Daily.