The Vocational Education Board has given rise to controversy in a latest bid by dragging the atheist-theist issue into the questionnaire of the terminal examination of ninth grade, amid a string of similar provocations reported to have been made in several schools over women’s dress code in the recent days.
In the exam of the course, Islamic religion and moral lessors-1 (creative), a comprehensive was given with four questions to answer out of that.
In the beginning of the paragraph, it is written – Someone is a self-proclaimed atheist blogger. He always calls names of Allah. On the contrary, Shamim is a theist blogger. He believes in Monotheism (Tauhid). He devoted himself to the work for Allah and His Messenger.
The next paragraph was also dedicated to Shamim's religion.
In the third of the four questions, it was asked how Shamim can invite an atheist person to believe in God.
Many students expressed their disappointment regarding the nature of the questionnaire, however, declined to be named.
Many experts and lawyers think the matter a crime that amounts to the incitement of religious hatred have been committed through setting such questionnaire that contain provocative elements.
The exam on the course took place at 10am on November 12. The Vocational Education Board takes two exams in the ninth and tenth grades for Secondary School Certificate (SSC), result is made compiling the aggregate score of the two.
Omar Shehab, a doctoral candidate of University of Maryland, and also a member of International Crimes Strategy Forum, said the people who made the questionnaires don’t have proper training.
He said: “An atheist is who don’t have faith while blogger is who writes blog. The question suggests the people without faith are bad.
“But the teachers should maintain cautious while making the questionnaire."
“With the time being, our old values are being replaced by new ones. The children need to be updated with the new knowledge," he added.
“Whatever the age of the teachers may be, they have to be keen on teaching them according to the latest development in the knowledge scene.”
He also said this is the first time the prime minister emphasised people with various faiths would co-exist in the country.
She also advised not to hurt anyone’s faith.
“We need to know the fine line between which will be regarded as an offense to other’s faith and which will be not, a new standard would be set.”
A child psychologist Dr Mohammad Asif said when this kind of issues are being discussed in the class room, they come to know these notions.
They are being acquainted to the words when they are to answer to such questions.
Often they can’t write according to their own idea or reading for the sake of getting marks.
The authorities have to realise that everyone won’t be a preacher.
And there is always risk that these kinds of incidents may leave the feeling of hate in the mind of the children which would be eventually being problematic for the society in future.
Many questioned the indifference from the authorities’ side behind formulation of such questionnaire, demanding a proper investigation into the matter.
According to Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, the questionnaire can be termed as a provocation from the legal perspective.
He observed by this kind question, the students are implicitly encouraged to hunt people of a certain group.
He said there needed a proper investigation and proper action into the matter.
This article was first published in the Bangla Tribune. Translated from Bengali by Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique