Daily Times

Bangladesh’s interim government has revised the national curriculum, replacing Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with General Ziaur Rahman as the nation’s founding figure.

The move, it says, aims to correct historical inaccuracies in school textbooks.

According to the National Curriculum and Textbook Board, the updated texts assert that Ziaur Rahman was the first to proclaim Bangladesh’s independence on 26 March 1971 through Bangla Radio.

Sheikh Mujib’s formal announcement of independence on 27 March is also mentioned but recontextualised.

The curriculum changes come after Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule ended last year in the wake of student protests. Critics have long accused Hasina’s government of manipulating historical narratives to align with her political legacy.

Rokhl Raha, a researcher involved in revising the curriculum, stated that the previous textbooks contained exaggerated accounts that needed correction.

He added, “Our goal was to provide fact-based narratives free of political bias.”

The revisions might reignite political tensions.

Supporters of Mujibur Rahman, who led Bangladesh’s independence movement, consider him the Father of the Nation. Meanwhile, Ziaur Rahman’s advocates argue he not only declared independence but later rescued the country from Mujib’s pro-India policies.

This divide has shaped Bangladeshi politics for decades, with Mujib’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, and Zia’s widow, Khaleda Zia, dominating the political landscape. The rivalry often led to one ruling while the other faced imprisonment.

The curriculum changes mark a significant shift in Bangladesh’s approach to teaching its tumultuous history and will likely fuel further debate about its national identity.

Thousands of Bangladeshis rallied at a ‘March for Unity’ in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday to mark the student-led uprising five months ago that led to the ouster of longstanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and remember the more than 1,000 killed in the violence.

The Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group that led the protests, dropped a plan to call for changes to the country’s 1972 constitution at the rally, after the interim government announced on Monday that it would prepare a proclamation.

SAD says a ‘Proclamation of the July Revolution’ is essential to honour the sacrifice of the protesters who died or were wounded, and to serve as a document reflecting the people’s aspirations. Some political analysts had expressed concern that there could be fresh instability if students sought changes to the constitution without broader consensus.

The press office of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who leads the interim government, said it would seek national consensus on a ‘Declaration of the July Uprising’, focusing on unity, state reform, and the broader goals of the uprising.

It expressed hope that a declaration would be finalised soon. On Tuesday, groups of students arrived from across the country and families of those killed in the unrest also joined the rally. They carried the national flag and chanted slogans against Hasina.

“My son Shahriar, a ninth-grade student, was killed (during the protests),” Abul Hasan told the rally. “Our tears will never stop, this pain will never end.” The protests were initially sparked by opposition to public sector job quotas. What started as a student-led movement quickly morphed into a broader, nationwide uprising against Hasina’s government.

The unrest reached its peak on Aug. 5, when violence forced Hasina to resign and flee to India, just before protesters stormed her official residence. Over 1,000 people were killed during the protests. An interim government was formed, tasked with restoring stability and preparing elections.