Jumbangla Desk: There is a change in the textbooks in Bangladesh. After the recent popular uprising, changes have been brought in almost everywhere including the administration, judiciary, police. So textbooks are not left out.
Textbooks include graffiti of the July uprising. Photo: Collected
Graffiti from the July uprising is being added to next year's primary and secondary school textbooks. Excluding the quote containing the picture of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the cover of the book. At the same time, it is being inserted in the way that its role in the history of the birth of Bangladesh is said by those concerned.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) Chairman Prof. Dr. AKM Riazul Hasan told BBC Bangla that those matters are being included according to their role in history. The issues of those who played an important role in the history of liberation war and independence are being added.
NCTB Chairman Riazul Hasan said that next year's textbook will be based on 2012 curriculum instead of 2024 existing curriculum.
"Instead of the existing curriculum for 2024, textbooks are being prepared for 2025 according to the 2012 curriculum, which was last updated in 2022," he said.
Several textbooks of different classes will reflect the spirit of the country's uprising. This article is about some other changes that are being brought.
These graffiti painted as a language of protest across the walls of Dhaka city
Adding mass uprising graffiti
The main demand of the anti-discrimination students' platform, which was built around the quota reform movement in government jobs, once turned into a one-point demand for the fall of the government.
At various times in this movement, the students chose wall painting as a language of protest.
Even after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government, students painted graffiti on the walls of the entire Dhaka city.
The students did not leave anything to draw graffiti on the walls of many buildings including educational institutions, boundary walls, road-islands, pillars of metrorail, pillars of flyover roads.
An attempt has been made to capture that time in these graffiti. Portraits and tributes to those who died in the coup are painted in graffiti.
Apart from communal harmony, state-society reform, protest against bribery-corruption, end of dictatorship, freedom of speech, ensuring rights, anger and resistance against all kinds of injustice and injustice have also emerged in these graffiti.
NCTB officials said that not all of July's graffiti will be included in the books, but some will be included in the books.
Also since July 2024 coup is very recent and time consuming to write about. This year the time is very short, so NCTB has decided to include coup graffiti or wall paintings in some textbooks instead of text.
Chairman of NCTB. AKM Riazul Hasan said, "The July 24 incident report, the quality of all such writings is actually quite time-consuming to prepare. Still some things can go but it needs the permission of the ministry. We have not received the approval yet.”
He said, "However, some graffiti is going on the back cover of some books, the paintings that children have drawn on the walls or the sayings of the sages are going on."
These graffiti or wall paintings will be added to the cover of some books like Bangla, Itihasa, Bangladesh and World Introduction books or some part of the book.
There are several essays on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the current 'Amar Bangla' book of class IV prepared by NCTB
'Sheikh Hasina's speech will be omitted'
NCTB has now decided to remove the pictures and quotes of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from the back cover of several classes of textbooks.
Referring to these words of Sheikh Hasina on the last page of the book as irrelevant, Chairman Hasan said, "They will not be there." They are irrelevant.”
He explained that these are being left out so that no political ideas arise in the minds of the students.
He told BBC Bangla, “They are not really like going into textbooks or need to. A student's learning process starts from the cover page of the textbook. Seeing these, they do not get any idea that it is part of a political campaign. Let it not happen.”
He said that instead of Sheikh Hasina's quote on the back cover of the book, some eternal sayings will be added.
Changes in history
At present, it is alleged that the role of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the history of the liberation war has been given more importance in the books of different categories of Bangladesh.
Some cuts are also being made in various history-based subjects including the Liberation War. At the same time, the roles of Ziaur Rahman and others are also being added.
Riazul Hasan, chairman of NCTB, admitted the matter and said, "There are issues of history, in which the role of each was not correct. There are such allegations. We got it too. They are being watched.”
"Whose roles will be given accordingly. For example, liberation war, other pillars of independence history will be included," he said.
'Major Ziaur Rahman declared independence' - this topic is also being added in next year's syllabus.
Hasan said, "In the declaration of independence, our then Major Ziaur Rahman made several announcements. Hopefully they will come that way." At the same time, the role of others in the liberation war will also be included, he said.
"Also Maulana Bhasani, Tajuddin Ahmed, General Ataul Gani Osmani, whose roles will be added as part of history."
Will include the victims of the uprising?
Abu Saeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, was killed in Rangpur on July 16 in the early stages of the anti-discrimination movement. He stood to face the police fire.
In various videos, Saeed is seen collapsing after being shot by the police. He died later. Although the case filed by the police has a different statement, there is a lot of criticism about it. The death of Saeed created a commotion in the country at that time.
A Mir Mahfuzur Rahman who was killed in Dhaka on July 18 in this movement is impressed. A student of Bangladesh University of Professionals was shot dead in Uttara.
Mochad and Saeed were killed in July during the anti-discrimination movement
Mocha was supplying water to the agitators. He lives in Uttara.
His words to the agitators "we need water, water, water, water" later became the main slogan of the movement.
Chairman of NCTB said that there has already been a discussion about including the two people killed in the uprising in the textbook. However, Riazul Hasan said that no approval has been received from the ministry yet.
He said, "There has been a discussion about this. It has not yet been decided. We can tell when the decision comes from our ministry. I haven't decided yet, so I can't talk about adding it."
He said that even if the decision of the ministry comes late, it is possible to include this subject in the book in the next year's book even at the last moment.
Hasan said, “Some books have gone to the printing press, some books are still waiting to go. We are in talks with our printers to deliver the book in January. They are also prepared to give books. Now if they all cooperate it is possible, difficult but not impossible.”
Values will be added
NCTB Chairman AKM Riazul Hasan said that every subject is being included in next year's textbook with a careful eye to ensure that no group, community or anyone is hurt.
He said, "There will be nothing in the textbooks that is in conflict with the values, religious and social values of our country."
Stating that this is being done as a precaution, he said, “It has been seen that no religious group or social minority group should be injured or any adverse comments made about them. The matter is being looked at so that no one is hurt."
