Special committee formed to find boat and scales symbols in textbooks

The new academic year is just two months away. However, the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has come under scrutiny over the use of images of boats and weighing scales, both known as political symbols, in printed textbooks. Fourteen officials of the organization have already been removed from their duties, including one over the scales symbol and 13 over the boat images. A special committee is being formed to determine whether there are any other inconsistencies in the books. The committee will review the textbooks and recommend corrections within a short period.

Several NCTB officials said the controversy began after an image of weighing scales was found in the Grade 6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) textbook, where it was used as a symbol of wisdom. Before the controversy subsided, the unnecessary use of boat images in various Bangla and English textbooks at the primary level also came under discussion. Questions were raised over the use of these images, which are widely recognized as political symbols. The textbook editing process, image selection and monitoring procedures also came under criticism.

Asked about the matter, NCTB Chairman Professor Mohammad Fakhrul Mawla told Agamir Somoy, “We are investigating whether there are issues such as the scales and boat symbols in any of the textbooks. We are working on this. If any inconsistency is found in a book, it will be corrected before being sent to schools.”

How the controversy began

Although work had begun with the aim of providing textbooks free of controversy for the upcoming academic year, the first dispute emerged over an image in the Grade 6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) textbook.

Last week, it was found that an image of weighing scales had been used instead of a brain to represent wisdom in the pyramid of knowledge featured in the book. The scales symbol is associated with Jamaat-e-Islami. The issue went beyond the Ministry of Education and reached the highest levels of government, triggering widespread controversy.

Abdullah Al Zubayer, a research officer responsible for editing the image of the scales, was transferred to Khagrachhari.

Before the controversy subsided, allegations emerged over the excessive use of boat images in various Bangla and English textbooks at the primary level. According to NCTB data, images of boats or boats themselves have been used 128 times in textbooks from Grade 1 to Grade 5. Of these, 52 images appear in Grade 1 textbooks, 25 in Grade 2, 25 in Grade 3, 13 in Grade 4 and seven in Grade 5. In addition, the Grade 2 English textbook uses the phrase “B for Boat” alongside an image of a boat as part of a lesson on letters.