According to The Daily Star’s report on Wednesday, textbooks in Bangladesh will now state that Ziaur Rahman — rather than ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — proclaimed the nation’s independence in 1971. The updated textbooks have likewise omitted Mujib’s designation as ‘Father of the Nation’.
Officials from the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) stated that the Bangladesh government has chosen to remove any “exaggerated” historical content or “unneeded” glorification of individuals from textbooks for the next academic year.
In previous textbooks for Grades 1 to 10, the independence declaration was assigned distinct attributions depending on the governing authority. Supporters of the Awami League hold that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman announced independence, while Ziaur Rahman delivered it according to his directions. Supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) assert that their founder, Ziaur Rahman, issued the declaration personally. At present, Khaleda Zia serves as the leader of the BNP.
Textbooks for grades four to nine in the previous curriculum are being updated, whereas those for grades one to three will stay the same. To ease the transition, specialized committees have been established to update 33 textbooks for different grade levels. Every committee, made up of three to five specialists in the field, is responsible for making changes according to the instructions from the NCTB and the interim government.
A member of the committee disclosed that depictions of Hasina in a positive manner, considered unnecessary for educational use, will be excluded. Rather, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman will receive equal respect for their contributions to the country.
Attempts are also underway to incorporate Ziaur Rahman’s contributions that were omitted earlier.
Important subjects being extensively revised consist of Bangla, Mathematics, ICT, Bangladesh and Global Studies, Civics and Citizenship, History of Bangladesh, and World Civilization. All textbook cover designs will be revised or eliminated.
The legacies of Mujib and Ziaur have consistently been debated politically, and the issue of who declared the independence of Bangladesh remains contentious. Although the Awami League, the party that led the Bangladesh liberation movement under Mujib, asserts that ‘Bangabandhu’ made the declaration, the BNP attributes it to its founder Ziaur.
Consequently, official histories have differed based on the ruling power in Dhaka. In 1978, under Ziaur’s presidency in Bangladesh, the official narrative was altered for the first time to recognize Ziaur as the individual who issued the declaration of independence.
Central to the dispute over who announced Bangladesh’s independence are the symbols that Mujib and Ziaur represent in the country. Mujib secured victory in the 1973 elections with an overwhelming mandate, although many reports indicate that the process was tainted by rigging and manipulation. He proceeded to outlaw Islamist parties, which he asserted had backed Pakistan during the Liberation War, and aimed to create Bangladesh as a secular state.
He was killed, along with many of his relatives, in 1975 during the initial of several coups in independent Bangladesh. This set the stage for the eventual ascent of Ziaur Rahman, who transitioned from being Bangladesh’s military leader to President. Ziaur would also be assassinated in a subsequent coup in 1981, but throughout his rule, he lifted restrictions on Islamist factions and importantly, eliminated ‘secularism’ from the Bangladesh Constitution in 1978.
This has continued to be the main point of contention between the political heirs of Mujib and Ziaur, Hasina and Khaleda. The Hasina administrations have significantly suppressed Islamist factions, whereas during Khaleda’s tenure, these groups have been encouraged and allowed to occupy prominent positions.
The choice made by the present administration to emphasize Ziaur’s role in Bangladesh’s Liberation War instead of Mujib’s indicates the legacy they aim to represent and the vision of Bangladesh they promote.
