Designing curriculum must not be left to demagogues

Dissolution of the Textbook Review Committee, formed weeks ago, has sparked strong criticism from various quarters including academics, curriculum researchers, and members of the civil society. Media reports say the decision came in the form of quick response to demands from Islamist political parties to re-constitute the committee alleging that its composition was not proper and that it included members whom they considered 'Islam haters.'
After the fall of the Awami League-led government on August 5, the interim government took the decision to adopt a fully reviewed curriculum from 2026 by scraping the 2022 curriculum. It was with this plan that the education ministry formed a 10-member committee on September 15 comprising, among others, noted educationists, researchers and academics. The committee was tasked with reviewing the school and college textbooks in keeping with the curriculum's aims and objectives, the country's culture, history, tradition, social and moral values, religious beliefs and providing recommendations for necessary reforms. But in less than a fortnight, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami demanded exclusion of two members from the committee and inclusion of at least two Islamic scholars arguing that many irrelevant and anti-Islamic contents were included in the textbooks in the past 17 years. Their demand was soon echoed by two other Islamist organisations-the Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish and the Sunnah Foundation.
In line with protests from various quarters over the dissolution of the review committee, the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has expressed deep concern stating the decision as the interim government's compromise on policy decisions and termed it a dangerous precedent of succumbing to self-interested radical threats. The organisation expressed deep concern saying that the decision to dissolve the committee formed to review and revise all textbooks, prepared and printed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), contradicts the vision of a non-discriminatory "New Bangladesh" and its non-communal spirit. TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the "New Bangladesh" should be a nation built on the principles of non-discrimination, transparency, and accountability, free from religious or blinkered ideological imposition. He added, "we are alarmed by efforts to spread malice, hatred, and hostility against non-communal spirit and pluralism, which are gaining momentum." In the press statement released in this connection, he also said, "No matter how overpowered the oppressive and communal forces that have emerged from the ruins of authoritarianism are, and no matter how hard they try to impose their discriminatory ideology on society, we firmly believe that the mainstream of the anti-discrimination movement will not allow such forces to thrive."
The TIB has clearly captured the essence of the ongoing protests across various parts of the country, especially on academic campuses. What might be surprising is how fundamentalist groups managed to influence the government. There is good reason to suspect that certain forces within the interim government are deliberately attempting to create disorder by reversing non-communal and inclusive academic reforms.
Academic curriculum has been a topic of debate in the country for quite some time. It may be recalled that following law enforcers' crackdown on the Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam during their siege of the capital's Shapla Square in 2013--known as the 'Operation Shapla'-- the then government was looking for an opportunity to placate the aggrieved Hefazat, which had a vast following across thousands of Quomi madrashas all over the country. In what many viewed as a populist conciliation, then-Hasina government made several concessions to Hefazat's demands, including significant changes to the curriculum. The most appalling of the changes was the removal of renowned Hindu writers from school textbooks-a thoroughly wicked move that deeply shocked the conscientious citizens. There were protests, but largely confined to newspaper columns and social media. Over the years, the Islamist groups continued to exert their pressure on the government, finding 'flaws' with the curriculum and pushing for further revisions. In 2023, they successfully lobbied for the withdrawal of two textbooks, "History and Social Science: An Inquiry-based Reader" for 6th and 7th graders, alleging the books promoted the 'controversial' theory of Darwinian evolution and disrespected Islamic attire for women.
Academic curriculum, in its true perspective, provides a systematic teaching method that engages students in learning knowledge and skills through an extended inquiry process. It encompasses the set of facts, rules, and procedures that students need to master in a specific discipline, along with the development of critical thinking and understanding of the world. The curriculum design, implementation, and assessment thus should aim to bring about a holistic development in students' personality --- physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual.
The interim government in its bid to bring about reform must not overlook the basics of curriculum design.

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