New Cambridge IGCSEs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India Studies have been launched at an evening to mark the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Plassey at London's City Hall.

Nobel Prize winning Indian economist and philosopher Professor Amartya Sen addressed the event which brought together Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Indian communities in London to look at how extremism can be addressed in South Asian Communities through education.

The new Cambridge IGCSE Bangladesh Studies and Pakistan Studies syllabuses have been developed by CIE in consultation with teachers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. They introduce students to the country's history, culture, geography, environment and development. Students learn about their rich heritage and cultural influences, and about events which have shaped national identity.

Through their studies, students also gain a deeper understanding of underlying skills and concepts, and examine different interpretations of historical events.

First examinations for Cambridge IGCSE Bangladesh and Pakistan Studies take place next year. Cambridge IGCSE India Studies is being developed in consultation with teachers in India during October 2007, and will be available for first teaching in 2011.

London Assembly Member Murad Qureshi, who hosted the event, said: "I strongly believe that offering pupils the opportunity to study these IGCSEs will help to strength community cohesion, tackle extremism in South Asian Communities and raise aspirations among the South Asian youngsters in the UK. In the light of this, it seems clear that in order for the Government to achieve its own stated objectives, IGCSEs in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India Studies should be made available to schools in the maintained sector."