'Scales' instead of 'brain' in Class VI ICT textbook; NCTB plans change
A picture of a weighing scale has been used as the symbol of wisdom in the 2027 Class VI Information and Communication Technology textbook. Following controversy over the choice, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has taken an initiative to replace the symbol.
On Thursday night, the printing of the book was ordered to be suspended. The board has also said that books already distributed to the field will be collected, the symbol will be changed, and the revised books will then be supplied to students again.
However, printing, binding and distribution of the book were completed long ago, according to printing press owners. They say collecting and revising the books already distributed across the country would involve additional costs and time.
An analysis of NCTB's book-printing figures shows that printing of textbooks for different secondary-level classes is progressing slowly. Collecting books from the field, revising them and delivering them to students again could take considerable time. Many fear this could disrupt the delivery of textbooks within the stipulated timeframe.
NCTB Chief Editor Professor Md Reazul Islam told Prothom Alo that books already distributed would be collected, the symbol revised and the books supplied to students again. For now, the board has taken initiatives to suspend printing and collect books that have already been distributed. He said, “We want to ensure that students do not receive any incorrect information through their textbooks.”
An NCTB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the weighing scale is primarily the electoral symbol of a political party. This is why the symbol has drawn criticism.
How the weighing scale appeared in the textbook
The 2027 Class VI Information and Communication Technology textbook introduces the concept of the knowledge pyramid in the lesson ‘Data and Information’. It has four levels: data, information, knowledge and wisdom, from the bottom to the top. A different symbol has been used to represent each level.
The data level features a circular symbol resembling a pie chart or a clock. The information level has a symbol resembling an atom or a network. An image of the human brain has been used to represent the knowledge level. At the highest level of the pyramid, a weighing scale has been used as the symbol of wisdom.
According to NCTB sources, around 3.8 million copies of the Class VI Information and Communication Technology textbook are being printed for the 2027 academic year. Most of them have already been printed. In addition, around 310 million textbooks in total are being printed for the 2027 academic year.
A comparison with textbooks from previous academic years makes the changes to the symbol of wisdom clearer. Following the fall of the Awami League government, the interim government revised the curriculum and returned to the 2012 curriculum. Accordingly, a weighing scale was also used to represent wisdom in the revised Class VI Information and Communication Technology textbook for the 2025 academic year.
However, the textbook currently in students' hands uses an image of the human brain as the symbol of wisdom. The weighing scale has reappeared in the 2027 textbook. Following the controversy, the NCTB has now taken an initiative to replace the symbol.
There is no universally accepted standard image to represent wisdom. Symbols such as owls and books have also represented wisdom in history, philosophy and culture. However, the NCTB has not yet announced which symbol will replace the weighing scale in the revised Class VI textbook.