The government has dissolved the committee that had been formed for textbook revision and improvement.
The Secondary and Higher Education Directorate issued an office order on Saturday.
The office order said that the coordination committee formed to properly complete and coordinate the activities of revising and improving all textbooks developed and printed by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has been dissolved.
On September 15, the Ministry of Education formed the 10-member committee, headed by Dr KM Kabirul Islam, additional secretary of the ministry, to review and revise textbooks.
Other members of the committee are education researcher Rakhal Raha, prof Kamrul Hasan Mamun from the Department of Physics at Dhaka University, prof Mohammad Azam from the Bengali Dept, associate prof Samina Luthfa Nitra from the Sociology Dept, additional secretary Masud Akhtar Khan from the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, NCTB Chairman prof Dr AKM Riazul Hasan, NCTB Curriculum Committee Member prof Rabiul Kabir Chowdhury, and NCTB Primary Curriculum Member prof AFM Sarwar Jahan.
Since the formation of the committee, various Islamist groups have called for the inclusion of Islami scholars, citing equal representation.
A section of teachers from leading public and private universities also raised concerns over the committee, citing a conspicuous absence of curriculum experts among its members.
The committee was tasked to ensure that the curriculum's goals and objectives are reflected in textbooks, make necessary revisions, ensure publishable quality by assessing content, writing purpose, and language, and check for proper representation of national philosophy, history, social values, religious ideologies, and moral values.
Additionally, it will ensure that textbook tasks align with the curriculum's teaching strategies, identify sensitive content, and coordinate all textbook revision activities.
On September 1, the Ministry of Education announced that the new curriculum introduced under the previous government was not feasible for implementation.
Teaching based on the revised curriculum will begin in 2026, with finalization in 2025, incorporating input from educators, curriculum specialists, evaluation experts, and civil society and parent representatives.
