Highlights
- Upcoming textbooks to include new political references about Sheikh Hasina.
- Her name to appear with the terms “dictator” and “mass killer.”
- Elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 to be discussed in new editions.
- The curriculum committee is finalizing revisions under the interim government.
- Education experts call for neutral and balanced political history in textbooks.
Major Political Revisions in Textbooks
The interim government is making significant changes to secondary and higher secondary textbooks. Despite fleeing the country after the July uprising, Sheikh Hasina’s name will remain in the curriculum — but with the added titles “Dictator” and “Mass Killer.”
The new editions will also discuss the “night-time voting” and dummy election issues, along with other controversial political events.
Historical Speech and Previous Court Directive
In 2021, the High Court ordered the inclusion of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic March 7 speech in textbooks. The full speech was later added across multiple classes, with eight-grade students studying it over six pages in the book Sahitya Konika.
Some education experts have argued that the same speech appearing in multiple books is unnecessary repetition and suggested limiting it to fewer textbooks. However, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) revision committee has not yet reached an
agreement on this issue.
NCTB Chairman on the Review Process
NCTB Acting Chairman Professor Rabiul Kabir Chowdhury said that the revision process will go through proper committee review before final approval.
“এই ধরনের বিষয় যেটাই আসুক, এটার একটা কমিটি আছে তো, সেটার মধ্য দিয়েই করা হবে। চূড়ান্ত প্রক্রিয়ার কাজ করা হচ্ছে।”
Translation: “Whatever the issue, it will go through the designated
committee process. The final review is underway.”
“Short-term Profit নয়, Long-term Growth-ই আসল।“
Academics Call for Neutral Political History
Dr. Mohammad Azam, Director General of the Bangla Academy, emphasized the need for a neutral and balanced approach in describing political history.
He further mentioned that terms like “dictator” have previously appeared in textbooks to describe other rulers, so using them again would not be exceptional.
“স্বৈরাচার শব্দ আগেও আমাদের পাঠ্যপুস্তকে ব্যাপকভাবে ব্যবহৃত হয়েছে… এখনকার পাঠ্যবইয়ে যদি আগের আগের শাসক সম্পর্কেও যায়, তাহলে আমি এটিকে বড় ব্যত্যয় মনে করবো না।”
Translation: “The term ‘dictator’ has been used before for former rulers. If applied now in a similar historical context, it’s not a big deviation.”
Read more: Bangladesh Declares 7 October Abrar Fahad Day and 25 February BDR Massacre Day as National Days
Neutral Approach Under Interim Government
Unlike previous political governments, the current non-political interim government is expected to take a more objective stance in rewriting history.
“নিঃসন্দেহে এই সরকারের চাপ ছিল না অথবা কম ছিল… আমি বলবো না যে সন্তোষজনক, কিন্তু খানিকটা অগ্রগতি হয়েছে।”
Translation: “There was certainly less pressure from this government. It may not be perfect, but some progress has been made.”
Upcoming Changes for 2026 Curriculum
The interim government has suspended the new education curriculum and decided to revise textbooks following the 2012 education framework. These changes are being made for the 2026 academic year, introducing a more detailed and politically balanced version of Bangladesh’s recent history.
Source: Jamuna TV
