The country’s Vocational Education Board has given rise to a controversy after the atheist-theist issue was included in a ninth grade final exam question, following in the wake of a string of controversies over women’s dress codes in schools.
In the Islamic Religion and Morality 1 (Creative) exam, a comprehension section, which forms the basis of four questions, begins: “Someone is a self-proclaimed atheist blogger. He uses epithets to refer to Allah. On the other hand, Shamim is a theist blogger. He believes in monotheism. He devotes himself to the work of Allah and His messenger.”
The next paragraph concerns itself with Shamim’s piety. The third question asks how Shamim can invite the atheist to believe in God.
Many students, who have declined to be named, expressed their disappointment regarding the nature of the question.
Many experts and lawyers consider the matter a crime amounting to the incitement of religious hatred. They say the question is provocative and instigates religious tensions.
The Bangladesh Technical Education Board conducts two exams in the ninth and tenth grades for the SSC. The exam in question took place on November 12.
Omar Shehab, a doctoral student at the University of Maryland and a member of the International Crimes Strategy Forum, said those who wrote the exam questions were not properly trained.
He said: “The question portrays atheist bloggers as bad people. But an atheist is merely someone who does not believe in a deity and a blogger is someone who writes a blog. Teachers should be cautious when writing exams.”
“Our old ideas are being replaced by new ones. Children need to be kept abreast of new ideas,” he added. “Whatever the age of the teachers might be, they must be keen on teaching their students according to the latest developments in knowledge.”
He said the prime minister has assured the public that people of various faiths would co-exist in peace. She has advised that no one’s faith be hurt.
“We need to know the fine line between what will and will not be regarded as an offence to another’s faith. A new standard must be set,” Omar said.
Child psychologist Dr Mohammad Asif said children are exposed to such ideas when they are discussed in the classroom.
“They are acquainted with certain words, associations and even prejudices when they are asked to answer such questions. Often they cannot write their own thoughts on the subject for the sake of getting marks,” he said.
The authorities must realise that everyone does not want to be a preacher, Dr Asif said.
“There is always a risk that these episodes may leave a feeling of hate in the minds of the children which will ultimately be problematic for society in the future,” he said.
Many have questioned why the authorities allowed such an exam to be written and have demanded an investigation into the matter.
According to Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, the questionnaire can be termed a provocation from the legal perspective.
He observed that because of such exam questions, students are implicitly encouraged to hunt down people of a certain group.
He said there needs to be a proper investigation and added that proper action must be taken.