Four new textbooks, two each for classes four and six, will be introduced in the next academic year. The two books for class four are “Bangladesh-er Sanskriti” (on Bangladesh’s culture), “Kheladhula” (on sports).
The Class Six books are titled “Amar Karigori Shikkha” (on vocational studies) and “Anandamoy Shikkha” (literally translated: happy studies).
The National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCCC) approved the four books at separate meetings held on Sunday at the International Mother Language Institute in Segunbagicha, Dhaka.
There are two NCCC committees: one for secondary education and the other for primary education. The primary education committee approved the two class four textbooks, while the secondary education committee approved the two class six books.
However, the committees granted approval subject to necessary revisions, according to sources at the Ministry of Education.
An official of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) told Prothom Alo that the authorities would revise the books in line with the recommendations and finalise them by Monday, today.
Those present at Sunday’s meetings included Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, Senior Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division Abdul Khaleque, Chief Information Commissioner Nahreen Islam Khan, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Saleh Shibli, and the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Gias Uddin, among others.
According to NCTB sources, the four textbooks will be compulsory for students in the two classes. However, schools will not hold annual examinations in these subjects; instead, teachers will assess students through continuous assessment.
The total print run for the new books exceeds 15 million copies. On the day of approval, the authorities issued Notices of Award (NOAs) to the printers selected to produce the books.
Sources familiar with the matter said one of the main objectives of the new Class six textbook “Amar Karigori Shikkha” is to encourage students to take an interest in vocational education.
The book covers several chapters on Introduction to vocational education, technology around us and the new world, identifying problems and finding solutions, small initiatives and big possibilities, future careers and skills, green technology and sustainable living and glossary.
The other new Class Six textbook, “Anandamoy Shikkha”, places emphasis on values. It is divided into several chapters on nutrition and healthy living, playing with technology, creating something new, staying lean and keeping our surroundings clean, days of celebration and living happily and spreading happiness.
The new Class Four textbook “Bangladesh-er Sanskriti” will cover the concept of culture, its influence on personal life, national, religious and social festivals, Victory Day, 21 February and the importance of cultural practices.
The other Class Four textbook on sports, focuses on eight sporting disciplines: football, cricket, badminton, kabaddi, chess, athletics, swimming and martial arts.
Further changes to textbooks
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) is introducing changes to textbooks for the 2027 academic year across various subjects, including history.
These include adding information about the sectors and brigade forces of the Liberation War, biographies of all the Bir Sreshtho, the events of 7 November 1975, and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s role in the mass uprising of 1990.
The NCTB is also adding an article written by former President Ziaur Rahman, titled Memories of the War of Independence, to the Bangla textbook for classes nine and 10. In addition, the board is revising the accounts of the declaration of Bangladesh’s independence.
The previous interim government also made changes to these accounts. As a result, textbooks produced under Awami League government, which was ousted during the July mass uprising, the revised textbooks prepared under the interim government, and the books being prepared under the current BNP government now present three different accounts of the declaration of independence.
Controversy over textbook illustrations
The Information and Communication Technology textbook for Class Six for the 2027 academic year included an illustration of weighing balance scale as a symbol of wisdom. However, following controversy over the image, the NCTB has decided to remove it before distributing the textbook to students.
Notably, the current year’s textbooks did not feature the illustration of the scales. The board had added it specifically for next year’s edition. Following the controversy, the Ministry of Education transferred an NCTB official to Khagrachhari on Sunday. The official is a member of the education cadre.
Meanwhile, the use of boat illustrations in several textbooks has also sparked controversy among some groups. However, several NCTB officials maintain that the illustrations match the subject matter and content of the books.
The textbooks feature boats, rice harvesting and other relevant scenes to depict the enduring green landscape of rural Bengal. The authorities did not introduce these illustrations for the first time this year. They retained them during two rounds of textbook revisions under the interim government and again while revising the books for the next academic year under the current BNP government.