Textbooks revised, honorifics removed after Uprising

Following the July mass uprising, the government has introduced wide-ranging revisions to primary and secondary school textbooks, with notable changes reflected in books prepared for distribution in the new academic year. The revised editions remove several long-used references and honorifics while expanding coverage of Bangladesh's political history across different eras.

An examination of the 2026 secondary-level textbook Bangladesh and Global Studies, published by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB), shows that the honorific "Bangabandhu" has been omitted before the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in multiple sections. In the Class Eight edition, particularly on page 21, the historic March 7 speech is discussed with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name mentioned five times without the title. In the previous year's edition, "Bangabandhu" appeared before his name in all five references.

Elsewhere in the same textbook, however, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman continues to be identified as the president of the Awami League and as the president of Bangladesh, indicating that biographical references remain unchanged.

Further review of Chapter Three, Lesson Two-The Liberation War and Democratic Struggles of Bangladesh-shows that six out of seven mentions of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the March 7 speech narrative omit the honorific. One exception appears in the "Students' Task-3" section of the lesson, where the title "Bangabandhu" is still used. It could not be immediately determined whether this inclusion was intentional or the result of an oversight.

An NCTB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that references where Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name appeared with honorifics embedded in sentences were not altered, but instances where "Bangabandhu" was used as a prefix were revised and replaced with his name alone. The official added that following the mass uprising of August 5, 2024, multiple changes were introduced across textbooks.

According to the source, the NCTB received written instructions from the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) directing the removal of the word "Bangabandhu" from secondary-level Bangladesh and Global Studies textbooks. The revisions were carried out in line with that directive.