The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has sought explanations from the writers panel of a grade VII science textbook on why a number of passages in the book were copied directly from the internet.
The pages had been translated with the help of Google Translate, according to the NTCB.
The teachers who were on the writers panel are Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, Prof Haseena Khan, Prof Mohammad Mizanur Rahman Khan, Prof Dr Mustak Ibn Ayub, and Assistant Professor Rony Basak. The book was also edited by Prof Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.
While talking to Dhaka Tribune, Prof Zafar Iqbal expressed his sorrow over the matter and said the plagiarized parts would be revised in the next print editions.
On Monday, Prof Zafar Iqbal and Prof Haseena Khan released a statement acknowledging the problems in the textbook.
The statement said even though he and Prof Haseena did not write the plagiarized sections, the responsibility is theirs as they are members of the panel.
Education Minister Dipu Moni has instructed the NCTB to collect and store all kinds of complaints and errors so they can be reviewed, NCTB Chairman Prof Md Farhadul Islam told Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday morning.
Recently, a post went viral on social media alleging plagiarism in the textbooks as the information in a chapter was copied directly from the National Geographic Education Resource Library website (education.nationalgeographic.org).
"We have noticed the issues in this year's new curriculum textbooks. We have already taken steps in this regard and asked the writers panel and review committee to provide a proper explanation by [Tuesday]," NCTB member (for curriculum) Prof Moshiuzzaman told Dhaka Tribune on Monday.
On January 14, Education Minister Dipu Moni said that the books provided this year under the new curriculum are being used on a trial basis, conceding that they may contain mistakes.
The trial versions of the books have been provided to 33,000 institutions across Bangladesh this year, but the books under the new curriculum that have been handed over to the students of classes I-VII may contain errors, the minister said.
Constant feedback will be taken from teachers, students, parents and educators and, based on their feedback, amendments will be made throughout the year if any mistakes are found, she added.
What errors are in the book
According to NCTB sources, there are two books for class VII science.
On page three of the first chapter named “Research Lessons”, it is written: “Biodiversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery”
These lines were taken directly from the National Geographic website and the Bangla translation was made using Google Translate.
The same textbook page has another passage directly copied from the same website, which says: "Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species. All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species."
Similarly, on page five, there is another passage that is directly copied from the website without citing it.
It reads: “All of the Earth's species work together to survive and maintain their ecosystems. For example, the grass in pastures feeds cattle. Cattle then produce manure that returns nutrients to the soil, which helps to grow more grass. This manure can also be used to fertilize cropland. Many species provide important benefits to humans, including food, clothing, and medicine.”
Besides, the textbook also contains several pictures that are taken from various websites without any credit or attribution.
What writers say
Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Assistant Professor Rony Basak, who is currently a teacher of Geography and Environment at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Sust), said he was unaware of the mistakes but would recheck the matter.
Terming the matter as plagiarism, the assistant professor said: "In the context of research-oriented work, this is definitely plagiarism regardless of whether it was intentional or unintentional."
When asked about the resources used in the process of writing the books, Rony Basak said: "A number of secondary sources where we found informative explanations have been used."
He said he was unaware which member of the panel may have written the plagiarized sections.
“Whoever edited the book either did not have enough time or it was unintentional. But this should not have happened as millions of students are studying the book,” added Basak.
He further said corrections will be made in next year's edition. “If more mistakes like this are found, it will help us to work better.”
NCTB protests fake posts about mistakes
On the other hand, another picture has been circulating on the internet of the IX-X grade book where a picture of a pineapple is shown, and the description says it is a coconut tree seedling.
According to the NCTB, the picture is a fake, created by an unidentified group to discredit the country's education system.
