A number of contentious curriculum issues are being revised in the textbooks. The First Amendment will also exclude many images and subjects that are not in keeping with our society, culture and religious values. Especially teachers, students and parents were not receptive beforehand; But even then they were forced to read or teach those subjects now those controversial subjects are being omitted. In the next academic year i.e. at the beginning of 2025, the textbooks that the students will receive will be printed with revisions or corrections in several subjects. And it will take some time to make a final decision on these issues. As a result, the tender process for printing textbooks for the next academic year has slowed down a bit.
In this regard, National Curriculum and Textbook Board NCTB sources said that due to the controversy over several aspects of the new curriculum and objections from various parties, the process of removing those subjects from the textbook has also started. According to the latest information, three officials from the Ministry of Education or the Office of the Education Advisor have started working in this regard. They have also started work to determine how the process of dropping controversial issues will be done in person at the NCTB.
On the other hand, the secondary level teachers of the country have been complaining that various conspiracies are going on to destroy the education system in the last few years. They say that teachers are the major players in the education system. But the new curriculum has been created without taking or discussing with the teachers. They have to be embarrassed while teaching these things. All in all, the new curriculum is not just for students and parents; Rather embarrassing and worrying for teachers too.
Educationists say that many controversial topics have been included in education in a well-planned way to destroy our new generation. In the name of the new curriculum, subjects have been added to the textbooks which are in no way relevant to our students. Controversial subjects have been included in various textbooks from sixth to ninth standard of Madhyamik. In the new curriculum, health protection book (page no. 47, 48, 49) has been inserted in the syllabus in class VI which aims to make our young children shameless. At the same time, in the story titled ‘Let’s be friends’ (page no. 89), teenagers are immersed in love under the guise of friendship. Complaints of many parents – In the education of the new curriculum, an attempt has been made to spoil the minds of the beloved children by presenting the family rule as negative in the traditional style of our socio-culture. This is clearly explained in the 8th class health protection book (pages 77 to 80).
The eternal attraction of the opposite sex in the minds of teenagers is also given place in the textbooks. Again our original Islamic culture has been denigrated and given priority to Hindu culture. Accurate history has been tarnished by blurring the past history of Muslims by portraying Muslim heroes as occupiers, minimizing the contribution of Muslims as well as denying the contribution of Muslims as the architects of Bengal territory. Even the teachers who are entrusted with the main responsibility of implementing the new curriculum are speaking against it.
Recently, all the teachers who came to the central convening committee meeting organized by the Bangladesh Government Secondary Teachers Association at the Government Laboratory High School in Dhanmondi of the capital expressed their enthusiasm about the new curriculum. Former Secretary General of the Government Secondary Teachers’ Association (Basmashis) Emarat Hossain Mia said that the changes brought about by the exchange of students’ blood will bring back their respect for the teachers. He said, the new curriculum is a deep conspiracy to destroy the education system. Secondary teachers have always been, and still are, trying to deal with this. If this is not changed, this nation will transform into a crippled nation. President of the convening committee of teachers, Mohammad Ruhullah said, everyone is worried about the new curriculum. Although teachers are major stakeholders, this curriculum has been developed without them. We also have to feel embarrassed while teaching the new curriculum. There are issues raised in the curriculum that have left the nation disappointed.
Azad Rahman, a senior teacher at Azimpur Girls School, said that when the curriculum came, there were complaints that the teachers did not know anything. But the teachers were not called during the preparation of the curriculum. We are embarrassed to teach this curriculum. The evaluation system of this curriculum is also flawed. We hope that our participation will be there as part of the next phase of the curriculum. So far we have not been kept in the formulation of education curriculum.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board NCTB Member (Primary Curriculum) Prof Md Mokhleshur Rahman told Naya Diganta on Sunday afternoon that any change or modification in the curriculum has to be done through a committee. Three people have already been given responsibility by the Ministry of Education to make some changes in the syllabus of the new curriculum. They are regularly visiting NCTB and assessing what can be changed or refined.
On the other hand, the production wing of NCTB has informed that the tender for printing new books for 2025 academic year has not been finalized yet. However, if any changes or corrections are required in the textbook even after the tender, that can also be done. Because if you want to change any part of the textbook, it is possible to solve the problem only by adding that part or that form before binding.