Staff Reporter :
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Monday expressed anxiety over the interim government’s decision to dissolve the textbook coordination committee.
TIB criticised the move, calling it a risky precedent and a response to “self-interested radical threats” that compromises policy decisions.
In a press release, the organisation voiced deep concern that dissolving the committee responsible for amending and revising textbooks, prepared by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), contradicts the vision of a non-discriminatory and non-communal ‘New Bangladesh.’
“This decision reflects the interim government’s compromising stance,” the statement said.
TIB Executive Director Dr. Iftekharuzzaman commented, “We are alarmed by growing efforts to spread malice, hatred, and hostility against non-communal values and pluralism. The interim government appears to be caving in to the propaganda and threats from self-interested factions.”
He added, “The cancellation of the coordination committee represents a concession to fundamentalism and communalism, undermining the aspirations for a non-discriminatory, democratic future in ‘New Bangladesh.'”
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman emphasized that despite the growing influence of oppressive and communal forces, the anti-discrimination movement will not allow such ideologies to dominate society.
“The strength of the interim government lies in its commitment to pluralism, inclusiveness, equality, and non-communalism,” he stated.
However, he expressed hope that the government would maintain its responsibility to uphold the principles of state reform and avoid further compromises with communal and fundamentalist groups.
The Ministry of Education dissolved the 10-member coordination committee, which had been formed on 15 September to revise and amend all textbooks under the NCTB. The decision came after demands from groups like Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islamic Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), who called for the inclusion of Islamic scholars in the committee. A similar demand was also raised by the National Teachers’ Forum.