Textbook coordination committee dissolution draws flak

The dissolution of the textbook coordination committee has drawn flak, with some saying the decision reveals the weakness of the government.

The education ministry dissolved the committee on Saturday. Prior to this, leaders of several religion-based organisations raised objections over two members of the committees. Those two members were Samina Luthfa, associate professor of Sociology at the University of Dhaka, and Kamrul Hasan Mamun, professor of Physics at the University of Dhaka.

On the other hand, several religion-based parties and organisations including Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam demanded the inclusion of at least two Islamic scholars in the committee.

After that, the education ministry dissolved the entire committee. On that day, a rally was held under the banner of “Shikkhon-Shikkharthi-Ovibhabokbrindo (Students-Teachers-Guardians)” at the capital’s Shahbagh where speakers opined the decision is indicates the government’s servility.

The move also drew reactions on social media platforms.

Regarding this, education advisor to the interim government Wahiduddin Mahmud told Prothom Alo informal discussions were held on the coordination work on revising and amending textbooks, and that was issued as the gazette by mistakes, creating confusion. So, the committee were dissolved, he added.

The interim government took office on 8 August after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August in the face of the student-people mass uprising. The new government decided to discontinue the new text curriculum formulated by the Awami League government and decided to resume the old text curriculum of 2012 from the next year. There is also a plan to provide a new textbook after formulating a new text curriculum from 2026.

According to sources at the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), students of classes 4 to 10 will receive the textbook in 2025 under the text curriculum of 2012 instead of the text curriculum. Overall textbook contents, however, will change slightly; but history-based subjects might see more change and one or two stories might add up.

There are textbooks under the old text curriculum, and those will be ready for print after revision, and over 50 experts, mostly university teachers and people involved in education, are working on it.

The education ministry formed a 10-member coordination committee to revise and amend all textbooks prepared and printed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) on 15 September. Education ministry additional secretary KM Kabirul Islam was the coordinator of the committee while Secondary and Higher Education Division Senior Assistant Secretary Md Yanur Rahman was the member secretary. The other members were professor Kamrul Hasan Mamun from the Department of Physics at Dhaka University, professor Mohammad Azam from the Bengali department, associate professor Samina Luthfa from the Sociology Dept, additional secretary Masud Akhtar Khan from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, NCTB Chairman professor AKM Riazul Hasan, NCTB curriculum committee member professor Rabiul Kabir Chowdhury, and NCTB primary curriculum member professor AFM Sarwar Jahan and researcher Rakhal Raha.

But, several religion-based organisations raised objections over Samina Luthfa and Kamrul Hasan claiming them ‘anti-Islamic.’

Regarding this, professor Kamrul Hasan told Prothom Alo, “It is a very embarrassing matter. I do not want to talk about it.”

Both professor Samina Luthfa and professor Kamrul Hasan were active against the Awami League government during the student-people movement. Many people were protesting the remarks that claimed they were ‘anti-Islamic.’ People concerned said the events pose risks to their personal safety and they have been advised to move safely.

Students of Sociology department said at a protest memorandum on Sunday they have adequate respect for the demands of everyone in a democratic state, but they protested calling professor Samina Luthfa ‘anti-Islamic’ unjustly. Professor Samina Luthfa is acceptable to all religions and creeds, as well as commands adequate respect.

Education adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud told Prothom Alo that since there is less time, expert teachers are working on amending the linguistic and sensitive issues in textbooks if there are any. Experts include teachers from madrasa as well as from Dhaka University. Informal discussions were held for the coordination of the task, and that was mistakenly issued as a gazette. Such a committee has no effectiveness in reality, he added.

The issue created confusion in social media, where people perceived this committee as the text curriculum reform committee and it has the responsibility. In fact, it is not the text curriculum reform committee, he said adding, that the coordination committee was not dissolved in the wake of growing demand, and rather it was cancelled as it raised confusion.

The order on the committee stated eight tasks. These include verifying the reflection of the goal and objectives of text curriculum in textbooks; making formulated text manuscripts publishable and qualitative by considering necessary amendments, addition and revision, subject, goal of writing, quality of writing, number of essays, language and other aspects; whether textbooks contain political philosophy, history and traditions, social values and moral values properly as well as verifying those; identifying social, political and religious sensitive contents in textbook contents, images and information, as well as giving opinions on it.

The government brought several changes to textbooks as per the proposal from the qawmi madrasah-based organisations during the past Awami League government in 2017. A decision was taken to omit the much-talked-about story ‘Sharifar Golpo’ from the textbook of class seven in the wake of controversy at the beginning of this year, and a decision was taken to add a new story.

Regarding this, Anu Muhammad, former professor of economics at Jahangirnagar University, said this government came to power through a mass uprising. So, people have huge trust in and expectations from them, but the government itself strike on this trust and expectation by dissolving the coordination committee to revise textbooks.

The government surely formed this committee consciously. So, the dissolution of the committee following the various debates or falsifications and vengeful campaigns revealed the weakness of the government, and will set very bad precedence in the process of democratic transition and education reforms, he added.