In a move widely seen as rewriting history, the Bangladesh government has revised its textbooks covering the country’s freedom struggle in 1971 to mention that Ziaur Rahman declared the country’s independence, changing the previous version that credited Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the declaration.
According to a Daily Star report, new textbooks with several updates are being distributed to primary and secondary students starting January 1.
Government’s response
Professor AKM Reazul Hassan, Chairman of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, stated that the 2025 academic year’s textbooks will mention that “on March 26, 1971, Ziaur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence, and on March 27, he made another declaration of independence on behalf of Bangabandhu.”
He noted that this information has been added to the free textbooks, replacing previous references to the declaration of independence.
Rakhal Raha, a writer and researcher involved in the textbook revisions, explained that the goal was to eliminate “exaggerated, imposed history” from the content. Raha said the revision team concluded that the claim of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sending a wireless message declaring independence while being detained by the Pakistani army lacked factual basis and therefore decided to remove it.
Previous changes in textbooks
In previous textbooks for Classes 1 to 10, the attribution of Bangladesh’s declaration of independence often shifted based on the ruling government. Awami League supporters widely believe that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made the declaration, with Ziaur Rahman—then an army major and later a sector commander during the Liberation War—delivering it on Mujib’s behalf. On the other hand, BNP supporters argue that their party’s founder and former president, Ziaur Rahman, personally made the declaration.
Former National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) officials recalled that during the Awami League’s tenure from 1996 to 2001, textbooks credited Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the declaration, while Ziaur Rahman was described as reading it aloud. However, when the BNP came to power from 2001 to 2006, the textbooks reflected the view that Ziaur Rahman had made the declaration himself.
The officials noted that they could not recall the content of textbooks prior to 1996.
