EGYPT: Former vice-president removed from Egypt's textbooks

The name and photo of Egypt's former Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei has been removed from a list of Egyptian Nobel laureates in fifth-grade textbooks, Al-Tahrir newspaper has reported.

Mr ElBaradei, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 as director of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Private daily Youm7 quoted an unnamed ministry official as saying that the removal of Mr ElBaradei's name was requested by parents and teachers due to his "hostile, anti-government comments" and also to "avoid any distraction or disputes among the students".  

Speaking to private ONTV on 21 March, Bashir Hassan, a spokesperson for the education ministry, refused to directly confirm the omission, only stressing that "nobody can tamper with history" and promising that the ministry would investigate the development.

BBC Africa - March 22, 2016