2017 textbooks criticism

In the Bengali textbook for class one, the word [ওড়না] (scarf) was used as an example to teach the Bengali letter [ও] (O). Many people believed that using the word [ওড়না] (scarf) expressed a form of gender discrimination.{{Cite news |title=বাংলাদেশে পাঠ্যবই: 'ও-তে ওড়না' বিতর্ক |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-38495657 |access-date=2025-04-13 |work=BBC News বাংলা |language=bn}} Although in the books distributed in 2013, based on the new 2012 curriculum, the sentence [ও-তে ওড়না চাই] (O for orna) was also written.{{Cite web |title=পাঠ্যবইয়ের ভুল শোধরাতে কমিটি |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1268633.bdnews |access-date=2025-04-13 |website= |language=bn}} Again, on page 11 of the class one Bengali book, to explain the letter [অ] (A) as in [অজ] (goat), a picture of a goat was included, and it was shown doing the impossible—climbing a tree and eating mangoes.{{Cite web |title=প্রথম শ্রেণির পাঠ্যবইয়ে ওড়না-বিতর্ক |url=https://www.banglatribune.com/educations/169847/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%AE-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%87%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%93%E0%A7%9C%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%95 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Bangla Tribune |language=bn}}

In the class three Bengali book, in the poem "Ideal Boy" by Kusumkumari Das, the line [“আমাদের দেশে হবে সেই ছেলে কবে”] ("When will there be such a boy in our country") was changed to [“আমাদের দেশে সেই ছেলে কবে হবে?”] ("In our country, when will that boy be?"). Also, instead of [“মানুষ হইতে হবে- এই তার পণ”] ("He to become human—that is his vow"), it was written as [“মানুষ হতেই হবে- এই তার পণ”] ("He must become human—this is his vow"). In the line [“হাতে প্রাণে খাট সবে শক্তি কর দান”] ("Work hard with heart and soul, give strength"), the word [খাট] (work) was spelled incorrectly as [খাটো] (short).

On the back cover of a class three book, under a photo of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a sentence in English was misspelled. While trying to express the idea of "hurting" someone, the word "heart" was written as in the organ (heart).{{Cite web |title=পাঠ্যপুস্তকে ভুলের জন্য দায়ীরা রেহাই পাবে না বড় ভুল গ্রহণযোগ্য নয় : শিক্ষামন্ত্রী |url=https://old.dailyinqilab.com/article/58032/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%BE%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%9C-%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%A3%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=DailyInqilabOnline |language=bn}} That is, in the Hindu Religious Studies book of class three, the sentence [‘পরনিন্দা ভালো না’] ("Backbiting is not good") was removed and replaced with "DO NOT HEART ANYBODY," according to officials of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.{{Cite web |last= |title='পরনিন্দা ভালো না' পাল্টে হয় 'DO NOT HEART ANYBODY' |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1270476.bdnews |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=bdnews24.com |language=en}} However, Udichi President Professor Safiuddin criticized the praise of the head of the government on the back covers of the books, saying, “By placing a shameless example of party flattery on the back cover, the entire textbook has been turned into a political pamphlet.”{{Cite web |title=এই পাঠ‌্যবই জঙ্গি তৈরি করবে: উদীচী সভাপতি |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1271422.bdnews |access-date=2025-04-13 |language=en}}

In the class four book “Bangladesh and Global Studies,” on page 78 in the writing about the 1971 Liberation War, the word [মুক্তিযুদ্ধ] (Liberation War) was sometimes written correctly and sometimes incorrectly as [মুকতিযুদ্ধ], and the name [বঙ্গবন্ধু] (Bangabandhu) was split with [ঙ] (ng) and [গ] (g) written separately.

In class five, Hefazat-e-Islami objected to Humayun Azad's Poem Book, claiming that the poem was against the Muslims’ holy book "The Holy Quran." When the poem was removed from this year's textbook, many believed it happened because of the demands of Hefazat-e-Islami.{{Cite news |title=বাংলাদেশে পাঠ্যপুস্তকে বিতর্কিত বিষয়, খুশি করেছে হেফাজতকে? |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-38600453 |access-date=2025-04-13 |work=BBC News বাংলা |language=bn}}

In the class eight textbook, to protect female students from sexual harassment, strategies were suggested such as not staying home alone, not wearing clothes that attract attention, and not going out with known or unknown people. These suggestions sparked reactions on social media and other platforms.{{Cite news |title=বাংলাদেশে পাঠ্যবই নিয়ে বারবার বিতর্ক কেন? |url=https://www.bbc.com/bengali/news-41343136 |access-date=2025-04-13 |work=BBC News বাংলা |language=bn}}

On the other hand, in the class eight storybook "Anandopath" (Joyful Reading), all seven stories were translations of foreign authors' stories.

According to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the sentence-sequencing method is used in primary education to provide children with literacy skills. In this method, first sentences are taught, then words, and finally letters. Materials are supposed to be used at all three stages. Since 1990, the first lesson of the first grade follows this approach: in the first stage, sentences like "I read books" or "Read books" are taught, and in the second stage, the words "I," "book," and "read" are taught separately.

Following intense criticism on Facebook regarding errors in the new textbooks, NCTB formed a review committee.

According to a statement from the Amir of Hefazat,{{Cite web |last= |title=পাঠ্যবই: 'হিন্দুত্ব ও নাস্তিক্যবাদ' ছেঁটে ফেলায় হেফাজত আমিরের প্রশংসা |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/ctg/article1272871.bdnews |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=bdnews24.com |language=bn}}

{{Blockquote|text=Seventeen writings that had long been recognized for their moral and ideological value were removed from the school textbooks by changing the syllabus starting in 2013, replacing the one that had been in place until 2012. Instead, twelve new writings were added, which are theoretically directly associated with Hindutva and atheistic ideologies.}}

At a press conference, Udichi's general secretary, Jamshed Anwar Tapan, stated,

{{Blockquote|text=Our education system is currently infected with a dangerous communal poison. Inside the shiny covers of the textbooks, horrifying fundamentalist plans have been inserted, promoting communal, ethnic, and gender-based discrimination.}}

At an event organized by the Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, general secretary Rana Dasgupta said about the textbooks,{{Cite web |last= |title=পাঠ‌্যবইয়ে সাম্প্রদায়িকতার উপাদান: রানা দাশগুপ্ত |url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1271870.bdnews |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=bdnews24.com |language=bn}}

{{Blockquote|text=The current state of the textbooks is inciting communalism even more. This is encouraging extremism, fundamentalism, and anti-liberation forces. All of this will affect minorities and make the coming years even more dangerous.}}

Student Union president Lucky Akter demanded the resignation of the education minister, accusing the textbooks of containing errors and promoting communalism.{{Cite web |last=জনকণ্ঠ |first=দৈনিক |title=বদলাচ্ছে না পাঠ্যবই ॥ হেফাজতি আদর্শ ও ভুল দুটোই থাকছে |url=https://www.dailyjanakantha.com/details/article/242918/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%A6%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B6-%E0%A6%93-%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2-%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=দৈনিক জনকণ্ঠ {{!}}{{!}} Daily Janakantha |language=en}}

Eighty-five prominent individuals of the country condemned and protested against the inconsistencies in the textbooks, including the inclusion of communal and religiously discriminatory content and the exclusion of important and progressive writers.{{Cite web |last=প্রতিবেদক |first=নিজস্ব |date=2017-01-10 |title=ভুলে ভরা পাঠ্যবই প্রত্যাহার চান ৮৫ বিশিষ্ট ব্যক্তি |url=https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A7%AE%E0%A7%AB-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Prothomalo |language=bn}}

In a statement, Hefazat Amir Allama Shafi Ahmed said,{{Cite web |title='পাঠ্যবই নিয়ে বিতর্ক সৃষ্টিকারীদের প্রতিহত করা হবে' |url=https://www.banglatribune.com/others/173317/%E2%80%98%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A7%9F%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%95-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%83%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Bangla Tribune |language=bn}}

{{Blockquote|text=Those who are trying to stir controversy by saying that Hefazat’s demands have been fully met in the school textbooks are an extremely small and socially isolated group. They are only harming the peace and order of the country. These people find communalism and inconsistency in writing ‘ও’ ("O" – the letter O) for ওড়না ("Orna" – scarf), but they do not find any such issue in writing ‘র’ ("Ra") for রথ ("Roth" – chariot), ‘ত’ ("Ta") for তবলা ("Tabla" – a musical instrument), ‘ঢ’ ("Dha") for ঢাক ("Dhak" – drum), or ‘ঋ’ ("Ri") for ঋষি ("Rishi" – sage).}}

At a press conference in the Ministry of Education's conference room at the Secretariat regarding the errors in the National Curriculum and Textbook Board's books, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said,

{{Blockquote|text=Humans can make mistakes. However, some mistakes should not have happened. There must be accountability for these errors. Those who made the mistakes and are responsible will not be spared.}}

NCTB Chairman Professor Narayan Chandra Saha said that, in addition to the errors under criticism, experts have also been assigned the responsibility of revising all books for the new academic year.

{{Reflist}}

Category:Textbook controversies

Category:Education in Bangladesh

Category:Political controversies in Bangladesh

Category:Censorship in Bangladesh

Category:2017 in education

Category:Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh