Education

Wrong name of July martyr printed in textbook

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has made an error in publishing the name of a July uprising martyr in one of the textbooks for fifth graders.

The Bangla textbook reads that along with others, a protester named Nahiyan was killed. However, NCTB officials said it was meant to be Nafisa Hossain, a protester killed by law enforcers in Savar.

The book tells the story of Abu Sayed, a student leader in Rangpur, who was shot dead by police at a close range while he stood with his arms outstretched in defiance against police brutality. His death and the photo of defiance spread like wildfire, drawing people from all corners of the country onto the streets.

A massive uprising followed. In Dhaka's Uttara, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, a student, was killed while giving out water bottles to protesters.

"Countless lives were lost, including [Golam] Nafiz, Nahiyan and Anas. Even children in their mothers' arms, children playing with their fathers, rickshaw pullers, labourers, farmers, hawkers, office workers, mothers and pedestrians were not spared," reads the relevant section.

When this correspondent sought details of Nafiz, Nahiyan and Anas, sources at the textbook board said that they had picked the three -- two male protesters and one female -- for their extreme sacrifices for the country.

However, they admitted that Nahiyan's name was mistakenly printed in place of Nafisa. She was an HSC candidate at Shahajuddin Sarker Model Higher Secondary School in Tongi.

"We did not decide to include anyone named Nahiyan," the source said.

It could not be independently verified whether anyone named Nahiyan was martyred during the July uprising.

The source said all the fifth-grade textbooks are already at the printer's.

Contacted, NCTB Chairman Professor AKM Reazul Hassan admitted the mistake.

"We will look into the matter," he said, "We will correct it in the PDF versions that will be sent to the schools today."

The photo of Golam Nafiz, a 16-year-old fresher at Noubahini College, was featured in several newspapers during the July uprising. That photo of a bloodied Nafiz -- shot by the police lying motionless in the footwell of a rickshaw while his head, with the Red and Green tied like a bandana, fell back and lolled in the air – became one of the iconic images of the uprising alongside those of Sayed and Mugdho.

Anas, who was a 10th grader, was killed on August 5, while protesting near Dhaka's Chankharpul. Before going to the protest, he had left a letter for his mother saying, "Ma, I am going to the protest. I cannot sit back at home anymore. It's better to die on the streets like a hero than stay at home like a selfish person, fearing death."

The chapter also discusses people who have made supreme sacrifices for the country. It includes the names of revolutionaries like Titu Mir, who resisted the oppression of the local zamindars and the British indigo planters during the colonial era and Pritilata Waddedar, another revolutionary from the British era.

It includes Amanullah Mohammad Asaduzzaman and Matiur Rahman who were both shot by police during the 1969 mass upsurge and Sergeant Zahurul Haque, an accused of Agartala conspiracy case, killed by Pakistan military in 1969.

The same chapter also includes sections on Noor Hossain, Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon and Nazir Uddin Zehad, who had been killed during protests against military dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad.

The chapter has sketches of Sayed, Mughdo, Titu Mir, Pritilata, Asad, Matiur, Noor Hossain, Dr Milon and Zehad.

Comments

Wrong name of July martyr printed in textbook

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has made an error in publishing the name of a July uprising martyr in one of the textbooks for fifth graders.

The Bangla textbook reads that along with others, a protester named Nahiyan was killed. However, NCTB officials said it was meant to be Nafisa Hossain, a protester killed by law enforcers in Savar.

The book tells the story of Abu Sayed, a student leader in Rangpur, who was shot dead by police at a close range while he stood with his arms outstretched in defiance against police brutality. His death and the photo of defiance spread like wildfire, drawing people from all corners of the country onto the streets.

A massive uprising followed. In Dhaka's Uttara, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, a student, was killed while giving out water bottles to protesters.

"Countless lives were lost, including [Golam] Nafiz, Nahiyan and Anas. Even children in their mothers' arms, children playing with their fathers, rickshaw pullers, labourers, farmers, hawkers, office workers, mothers and pedestrians were not spared," reads the relevant section.

When this correspondent sought details of Nafiz, Nahiyan and Anas, sources at the textbook board said that they had picked the three -- two male protesters and one female -- for their extreme sacrifices for the country.

However, they admitted that Nahiyan's name was mistakenly printed in place of Nafisa. She was an HSC candidate at Shahajuddin Sarker Model Higher Secondary School in Tongi.

"We did not decide to include anyone named Nahiyan," the source said.

It could not be independently verified whether anyone named Nahiyan was martyred during the July uprising.

The source said all the fifth-grade textbooks are already at the printer's.

Contacted, NCTB Chairman Professor AKM Reazul Hassan admitted the mistake.

"We will look into the matter," he said, "We will correct it in the PDF versions that will be sent to the schools today."

The photo of Golam Nafiz, a 16-year-old fresher at Noubahini College, was featured in several newspapers during the July uprising. That photo of a bloodied Nafiz -- shot by the police lying motionless in the footwell of a rickshaw while his head, with the Red and Green tied like a bandana, fell back and lolled in the air – became one of the iconic images of the uprising alongside those of Sayed and Mugdho.

Anas, who was a 10th grader, was killed on August 5, while protesting near Dhaka's Chankharpul. Before going to the protest, he had left a letter for his mother saying, "Ma, I am going to the protest. I cannot sit back at home anymore. It's better to die on the streets like a hero than stay at home like a selfish person, fearing death."

The chapter also discusses people who have made supreme sacrifices for the country. It includes the names of revolutionaries like Titu Mir, who resisted the oppression of the local zamindars and the British indigo planters during the colonial era and Pritilata Waddedar, another revolutionary from the British era.

It includes Amanullah Mohammad Asaduzzaman and Matiur Rahman who were both shot by police during the 1969 mass upsurge and Sergeant Zahurul Haque, an accused of Agartala conspiracy case, killed by Pakistan military in 1969.

The same chapter also includes sections on Noor Hossain, Dr Shamsul Alam Khan Milon and Nazir Uddin Zehad, who had been killed during protests against military dictator Hussein Muhammad Ershad.

The chapter has sketches of Sayed, Mughdo, Titu Mir, Pritilata, Asad, Matiur, Noor Hossain, Dr Milon and Zehad.

Comments

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