July uprising now part of textbook history

As part of history, the new textbooks now include the July mass uprising. At the same time, the 1990 mass uprising has also been added. These updates have been made mainly in the Bangladesh and World Studies books for sixth, seventh, eighth, and combined ninth–tenth grades.

Some changes have also been made to previously existing historical content. Across various grades, most mentions of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Bangladesh and World Studies books no longer include the title “Bangabandhu,” though a few instances remain. In the eighth-grade literature anthology, the essay “Ebarer Sangram, Swadhinatar Sangram”, which contained Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic 7 March speech, has been removed. As a result, the number of essays in that book is now 11.

For the new academic year, which began on 1 January, students have received the free textbooks. However, at the secondary level, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has not yet supplied all the books, so not every student has received every book.

More than 214 million copies are being printed for free distribution across secondary and primary levels. NCTB said that by 3 January, 78.69 per cent of secondary books had reached schools: over 85 per cent for sixth grade, 68.69 per cent for seventh, around 55 per cent for eighth, about 88 per cent for ninth, and over 96 per cent for primary students. The number of copies printed exceeds these figures. For primary education, more than 85.9 million books have been fully distributed.

After last year’s student–public uprising led to the fall of the Awami League government, the interim administration revised textbooks according to the old 2012 curriculum rather than the new one. Following this, poems, essays, prose, and even graffiti covering the July mass uprising were added to Bengali and English books for fifth to ninth–tenth grades. Previously, this was all under literature.

Now, the July mass uprising has been included in history chapters for sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth–tenth grade Bangladesh and World Studies textbooks. In the sixth-grade book, the second chapter History of Bangladesh includes a section at the end titled Mass Uprisings in Independent Bangladesh. It briefly describes the 1990 uprising and also the 5 August 2024 uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s government, calling it the July Mass Uprising. The text highlights the courage, unity, and democratic aspirations of the Bangladeshi people.

Two photographs are included: one of martyr Noor Hossain during the anti-dictatorship movement and one of Martyr Abu Sayed from the July uprising.

NCTB officials said the length of content was chosen considering students’ ages. While the sixth-grade textbook gives a brief account, the seventh, eighth, and ninth–tenth grade books expand on it.

The seventh-grade book chapter Bangladesh’s Liberation and Mass Uprisings now includes Mass Uprisings in Bangladesh and the July 2024 Uprising, covering both the 1990 and 2024 uprisings with Abu Sayed’s photograph.

The eighth-grade book under Bangladesh’s Liberation War and Democratic Struggles has a new section Mass Uprisings in Bangladesh’s Democratic Journey, again including the 1990 and 2024 uprisings, accompanied by images of Abu Sayed and the Dhaka blockade rally on 10 November 1987.

The ninth–tenth-grade book under Bangladesh’s Independence includes a section on Mass Uprisings in Independent Bangladesh. It provides more detail than the lower grades and cites a UN investigation, noting that around 1,500 people were martyred during the 36-day movement, 12–13 per cent of them children.

The textbooks emphasise that the 2024 uprising was not merely a socio-political event, but a reflection of a new civic consciousness in Bangladesh. This consciousness represents democracy, equality, social justice, and human dignity, and shows that people will no longer accept dictatorship, oppression, or tyranny.

NCTB sources said these changes were made following the National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCC) and government directives, with NCTB participation. Some changes were debated.

The NCC includes external educators and specialists. Several experts and scholars played key roles in this update.

Last year, during textbook distribution, A K M Riazul Hasan served as NCTB chairman. He told Prothom Alo that last year’s Bengali and English books had included stories, poems, and graffiti on the July mass uprising. A policy decision had already been made to include the topic in history chapters, but time constraints prevented it. This year, the content is being added to history sections as planned.

He added: “It is a good decision. But care must be taken to ensure the accuracy of information so that no one can raise objections.”