Bangladesh Revises Textbooks After Revolution, Sparking Historical Debate

Following the 2024 student-led revolution that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has undertaken significant revisions of its school textbooks. The new curriculum reduces the emphasis on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the nations first president and Hasinas father, by removing his poems, speeches, and articles, as well as images of Hasina. In their place, figures like former army chief Ziaur Rahman, founder of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have been reintroduced. Critics argue that these changes omit crucial historical events, such as the 1971 purge of intellectuals by militias linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, raising concerns about the motivations behind this historical revision.