Dhaka: Bangladesh has introduced new textbooks for primary and secondary students that say former army major and president Zia-ur-Rehman declared independence in 1971 instead of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
It is mentioned earlier in the books that Rahman declared. Moreover, the title of “Father of the Nation” has also been removed for Rahman.
New books with several changes were distributed to students from the beginning of the new year i.e. January 1.
National Curriculum and Textbook Board Chairman Professor AKM Riazul Hasan said that the new textbooks for the academic year 2025 will state that “On March 26, 1971, Ziaur Rehman announced the independence of Bangladesh and on March 27, he He made another declaration of independence on his behalf. Bangabandhu’s”
After Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister for the second time, textbooks since 2010 mentioned that Rahman declared independence in a wireless message just before his arrest.
Hasan added that this information was included in the free textbooks where the declaration was concerned.
Writer and researcher Rakhal Raha, who was part of the changing process, said they sought to free textbooks from “exaggerated, imposed history”. “Those who revised the textbooks found that it was not factual information that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had sent a wireless message (Declaration of Independence)…”