Samakal-Gonoshakkhorota Ovijan discussion
No liberation, anti-liberation contents in textbooks together
Samakal Correspondent
16 Jan 2017 08:28 AM । Update: 16 Jan 2017 09:25 AM
Portion of the participants at Samakal-Gonoshakkhorota Ovijan discussion held at Samakal office on January 14- Samakal
While speaking about much-talked textbook errors, speakers at a roundtable discussion on Saturday opined, ‘A group of anti-liberation forces are in the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and they should be removed from their posts.’
‘Qualified and skilled persons should be posted here removing them (anti-liberation forces),’ the speakers emphasized at the discussion on the day.
The national curriculum must be on the non-communal spirit and no liberation war and anti-liberation war contents would be allowed together in textbooks in the name of indifference, the speakers warned.
The speakers came up with the comments while addressing at the roundtable discussion organized by ‘Samakal-Gonoshakkhorota Ovijan’ titled ‘Development of the standard of primary-level textbooks: Thinking of Civil Society’ held at the Samakal office here, in the capital, on January 14.
Mustafiz Shafi, the Executive Editor of the national daily moderated the discussion while Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) in the country, presided over the program.
Rasheda K Choudhury also the former adviser, caretaker government of Bangladesh in 2008, said, ‘There are some contents in this year’s textbooks for primary-secondary level that have harmful impacts among students.’
Slamming authorities concerned she also said, ‘The spelling-style of Bangla Academy was not followed in this year’s textbook correctly while the presentation was also erroneous.’
While delivering his speech, Professor Shofi Ahmed of Dhaka University’s English department criticized the authorities related to the textbooks claiming, ‘Non-communal spirit for which we were liberated from Pakistan in 1971 is not extant in today’s textbook.’
M M Akash, Professor of Economics Department of the University of Dhaka, however, pointed, ‘Errors are everywhere in this year’s textbooks including in its information, gender, word, picture and spelling etc.’
Praising country’s young generation Samakal Executive Editor, Mustafiz Shafi, said, ‘Young people initially highlighted the textbook error issue through social media tools,’ adding, ‘We will keep confidence on our youths.’
Prof Hayat Mahmud, Curriculum expert Momtaz Latif, Samakal’s Associate Editor Ajoy Dasgupta, Gonoshakkhorota Ovijan deputy director Tapon Kumar Das and K M Anamul Haque, Samakal’s special correspondent Sabbir Newaz while one school teacher and one of the guardians also took part in the discussion on the day.
Earlier warning that actions will be taken against the officials responsible for the errors in textbooks in school syllabus, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told reporters, ‘No one will be spared who are responsible for the mistakes.’
