Communal influence behind change of textbook contents: TIB

The Transparency International of Bangladesh (TIB) has said that textbook contents were changed due to pressure from a communal quarter. This is opposed to the spirit of the Liberation War, it has noted. As many as 16 contents of five primary and secondary level books have been deleted due to the pressure created by a communal group. At least 11 poems have been dropped from these textbooks following communal pressure, according to the TIB study.

The TIB unveiled its research report on ‘National Curriculum and Textbook Board “NCTB”: Challenges of Good Governance in Manuscript Writing and Publication Management and Way out’ at its office in the capital.

The data collection, analysis and report preparation for the research were done from October 2016 to October 2017. The report was presented by TIB researcher Morsheda Akhter.

The TIB said that names considered to be those of Hindus, Christians or foreigners have been deleted from English textbooks at the madrasa level and pictures of girls without their heads covered have been edited. Even the name of the NCTB

chairman has been deleted from the madrasa books as he belongs to the Hindu community, the TIB noted.

TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said: “When textbooks are changed on the basis of the demands raised by a communal group, it goes against the spirit of the Liberation War.”

The anti-graft watchdog said there has been opacity in the preparation of manuscripts as they were not written in the right manner, while there are apparent political and ideological influences in the textbooks.

This tendency is responsible for a fall in the quality of education and poses the risk of spreading communal feelings, it observed.

The TIB found instances of corruption and irregularities in the publication of textbooks, including the pursuance of personal interest and malpractices in the issuing of work orders.

It also said that from the chairman to those in the MLSS post of the NCTB are taking honorariums of various amounts in violation of the rules. The total amount of such honorarium was Tk. 17.56 lakh in 2015, Tk. 5.8 lakh in 2016, and Tk. 27.60 in 2017 for issuing tender instructions, publication of advertisements, estimation of paper, bill payment, etc.

The TIB found lack of good governance in the writing of manuscripts. It has detected irregularities and corruption at 10 levels in the writing of manuscripts, including the formation of a committee where the ruling party ideology dominates, eligible persons are sometimes dropped from the body, and workshops are held where nepotism and personal preference serve as the selection criteria.

Many members of the writers’ teams lacked a clear understanding of the subject and sometimes even those unfamiliar with the subjects concerned were included in the teams.

The influence of religion or communal ideology was evident in the process of writing and word selection, and the contents and the use of words changed with changes in the government, the research noted.

In the recruitment of content experts, subject experts were not recruited in many cases,and even officers on deputation acted as subject specialists. For instance, an economics teacher was passed off as a Bengali expert.

The TIB also found other shortcomings in manuscript writing like shoddy editing, recruitment of proofreaders on the basis of lobbying and nepotism, improper analysis of field-level information, and improper preservation of manuscripts.

The anti-graft watchdog also found irregularities in the tender process for the publication of textbooks as well as in the acceptance of honorarium at different levels of the NCTB for production and distribution of books without any office order. It further found that the NCTB had subcontracted 100 per cent of the work when the rules lay down a 20 per cent limit.

It found irregularities in the purchase of paper, issuing of work order to black-listed printing organisations, approving printed books in exchange of money, and obtaining reports of timely dispatch of books despite delays.

To eradicate such irregularities and corruption, the TIB has presented a 16-point list of recommendations. It includes making the  NCTB an independent commission, amendment to the NCTB Ordinance 1983, formulation of specific policies for textbooks and manuscripts, recruitment of eligible members for the NCTB, publication of all probe reports of the NCTB on the website, recruitment of subject experts and writers, introduction of e-tendering, and digital preservation of manuscripts.

In reply to a query, Iftekharuzzaman said: “If communal issues become institutionalised, it will not reflect the spirit of the Liberation War. If the most important issues regarding girls are dropped from our textbooks, it reflects backward thinking.”

Communal influence behind change of textbook contents: TIB

The Transparency International of Bangladesh (TIB) has said that textbook contents were changed due to pressure from a communal quarter. This is opposed to the spirit of the Liberation War, it has noted. As many as 16 contents of five primary and secondary level books have been deleted due to the pressure created by a communal group. At least 11 poems have been dropped from these textbooks following communal pressure, according to the TIB study. The TIB unveiled its research report on National Curriculum and Textbook Board NCTB: Challenges of Good Governance in Manuscript Writing and Publication Management and Way out at its office in the capital. The data collection, analysis and report preparation for the research were done from October 2016 to October 2017. The report was presented by TIB researcher Morsheda Akhter. The TIB said that names considered to be those of Hindus, Christians or foreigners have been deleted from English textbooks at the madrasa level and pictures of girls without their heads covered have been edited. Even the name of the NCTB chairman has been deleted from the madrasa books as he belongs to the Hindu community, the TIB noted. TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said: When textbooks are changed on the basis of the demands raised by a communal group, it goes against the spirit of the Liberation War. The anti-graft watchdog said there has been opacity in the preparation of manuscripts as they were not written in the right manner, while there are apparent political and ideological influences in the textbooks. This tendency is responsible for a fall in the quality of education and poses the risk of spreading communal feelings, it observed. The TIB found instances of corruption and irregularities in the publication of textbooks, including the pursuance of personal interest and malpractices in the issuing of work orders. It also said that from the chairman to those in the MLSS post of the NCTB are taking honorariums of various amounts in violation of the rules. The total amount of such honorarium was Tk. 17.56 lakh in 2015, Tk. 5.8 lakh in 2016, and Tk. 27.60 in 2017 for issuing tender instructions, publication of advertisements, estimation of paper, bill payment, etc. The TIB found lack of good governance in the writing of manuscripts. It has detected irregularities and corruption at 10 levels in the writing of manuscripts, including the formation of a committee where the ruling party ideology dominates, eligible persons are sometimes dropped from the body, and workshops are held where nepotism and personal preference serve as the selection criteria. Many members of the writers teams lacked a clear understanding of the subject and sometimes even those unfamiliar with the subjects concerned were included in the teams. The influence of religion or communal ideology was evident in the process of writing and word selection, and the contents and the use of words changed with changes in the government, the research noted. In the recruitment of content experts, subject experts were not recruited in many cases,and even officers on deputation acted as subject specialists. For instance, an economics teacher was passed off as a Bengali expert. The TIB also found other shortcomings in manuscript writing like shoddy editing, recruitment of proofreaders on the basis of lobbying and nepotism, improper analysis of field-level information, and improper preservation of manuscripts. The anti-graft watchdog also found irregularities in the tender process for the publication of textbooks as well as in the acceptance of honorarium at different levels of the NCTB for production and distribution of books without any office order. It further found that the NCTB had subcontracted 100 per cent of the work when the rules lay down a 20 per cent limit. It found irregularities in the purchase of paper, issuing of work order to black-listed printing organisations, approving printed books in exchange of money, and obtaining reports of timely dispatch of books despite delays. To eradicate such irregularities and corruption, the TIB has presented a 16-point list of recommendations. It includes making the NCTB an independent commission, amendment to the NCTB Ordinance 1983, formulation of specific policies for textbooks and manuscripts, recruitment of eligible members for the NCTB, publication of all probe reports of the NCTB on the website, recruitment of subject experts and writers, introduction of e-tendering, and digital preservation of manuscripts. In reply to a query, Iftekharuzzaman said: If communal issues become institutionalised, it will not reflect the spirit of the Liberation War. If the most important issues regarding girls are dropped from our textbooks, it reflects backward thinking.