Key Takeaways:
– Major changes in the school curriculum are common during shifts in national leadership in Bangladesh.
– The latest curriculum reform happened after the ousting of the former Premier, Sheikh Hasina.
– The new textbooks omitted references to the country’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and his rule.
– The revised curriculum also brings back figures erased during Hasina’s era, causing division among the people.
– There’s controversy over the omittance of sensitive historical events linked to the Jamaat-e-Islami party.
– Changes in the textbooks reflect the influence of religious sentiment in the nation.
Text:
Imagine turning the pages of your history textbook and finding the content altered. Sounds strange, right? Well, in Bangladesh, the storyline appearing within such articles can, and indeed does, change frequently. The culprit is the political climate, which influences everything, right down to the content of the school curriculum.
The Epicenter of the Crisis:
The latest shift in the country’s historical narrative began under a new government. Ex-Premier Sheikh Hasina has been ousted following a student-led revolution, sparked by dissatisfaction over her autocratic reign. This change of guard has spurred Bangladesh into rewriting its history books, painting a new picture of the past. It’s a fascinating but controversial occurrence, raising many questions about the integrity of education under changing regimes.
Laiba, a Bangladeshi high school student, and her mother Suraiya have voiced their grievances regarding the flux in the curriculum. Suraiya stresses that textbooks requiring continuous updates with the changing of the guard don’t represent stable or reliable education.
The Revamped History:
Previously, high regard was given to the country’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, for spearheading the liberation struggle against Pakistan in 1971. However, the new curriculum broke this tradition with Mujib’s absence. The reason for his absence has to do with his familial ties to the ousted Sheikh Hasina.
Laiba’s textbooks now honor the hundreds lost in the protests that ended Hasina’s rule, and remember previously erased national heroes. They also bring to light Ziaur Rahman, a former army chief recognized for publicly announcing Bangladesh’s independence in the 1971 war. Zia, however, was omitted in the old texts owing to his founding the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the key opposition to Hasina’s regime.
Outrage Over Missing History:
Despite these significant changes, critics say the new curriculum hides a fair amount of the country’s history. One notably missing episode is the grim massacre of intellectuals in the last days of the 1971 war. This tragic incident, said to be orchestrated by the Jamaat-e-Islami along with Pakistani forces, has been glossed over in the revised textbooks. Critics theorize that the likely political resurgence of Jamaat might have spurred this omission.
A Tug of War with Tradition:
Possibly influenced by strong religious sentiment, the new curriculum has also erased references to the transgender community, moving away from the previous government’s policies championing their rights.
As Bangladesh’s political landscape continues to evolve, the ongoing changes in its school curriculum reflect these fluctuations. Yet, beyond the debates about historical accuracy and inclusion, these changes reveal a country grappling with its past and the challenge of defining a unified national narrative. How these shifts will influence future generations–like our protagonist, the high schooler, Laiba–remains to be seen.