This study contextualizes the experiences of Pakistani migrants in the U.K. regarding the contradiction of their cultural values and their children’s education. Pakistani emigrants in the U.K. arrive with a heavy burden of cultural and religious values and are the sole breadwinners of large families back home. Existing research shows that within Pakistani families, the transmission of cultural values and practices to their children is an integral aspect of their lives. This transmission encompasses not only daily religious and cultural norms but also the obligation to respect and obey parents and elders in significant life decisions. Additionally, children are expected to conform to various other cultural and religious norms that shape their social and moral development. Existing literature highlights cultural attachment as having a positive relationship with one’s well-being as Pakistani families strive to keep their cultures alive in a foreign society. However, children who belong to a different ethnicity than their place of birth have a potential for a “confused identity.” Moreover, not all cultural and religious values go in accord with the education system of the host society. However, it has also been recorded that migrants inevitably accept the host culture, as most of them migrate to countries where they have more choices and freedom and foresee a better future in terms of socio-economic resources. Preferring a better life means they prioritize their financial well-being over their cultural well-being and conform to the standards for their survival in the host country. Multicultural societies face issues of majority-minority conflicts, suggesting the need for cosmopolitan perspectives (Appiah, 2006) to challenge pluralism, hate crimes, and intolerance toward cultural sentiments. These conflicts may be one reason some parents and children are reluctant to exhibit their cultural identities at schools. This study explores the contradictions of cultural values that are experienced by Pakistani families and the resulting experiences of their children at school. The study used semi-structured detailed interviews with Pakistani parents to explore how the education system challenges their cultural values. The data from this study promises to provide deep understandings of how the education system of the host country affects immigrant children and the challenges they face to retain their cultural values in the host country.

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