BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday urged the educated people and intellectuals to raise their voices for a change as no one from outside will come with sanctions to protect the nation from misrule.Speaking at a discussion, he demanded the government immediately cancel the new textbooks of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) that contain errors, distortion of history, and misinformation.The leader accused the government of developing low-quality and error-ridden textbooks for making a subservient and failed nation, and called upon the teachers of the country to raise their voices unitedly for the cancellation of the error-filled textbooks.
“The main thing now is that we must stand up. Otherwise, no one will protect you. No one from outside will come and protect you with sanctions. No one will create something new for you. As long as the educated people and the intellectuals won’t come up with resistance, we won’t get rid of (misrule), he said.The BNP and the University Teachers Association of Bangladesh (UTAB) jointly arranged the discussion titled ‘Imprudent Curriculum and Poor-Quality Textbooks: Blueprint for Destruction of the Country’s History, Tradition and Culture’ at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity.
Fakhrul alleged that the new textbooks are filled with errors, wrong history, and information. “These books are being taught to the new generation of children…This government is systematically working to create a submissive and failed nation.” He also bemoaned that educated people are not strongly protesting against textbook errors. “Why am I not standing up today to protect my identity, my independence, my heritage, and my culture? We must raise our voices. The protests should be spread across the country.”
The BNP leader also slammed Education Minister Dipu Moni for her request not to make textbook errors an issue. “If you hit my roots hard, then why I won’t make it an issue and I won’t talk. When you want to change my whole character and change my identity, then why I won’t make it an issue. Of course, I will make it an issue. Of course, this is one of the biggest issues and it’s the issue of the existence of my nation.” Describing the teachers as the pride of the country, Fakhrul said people get the courage to take to the streets to reach their desired goal when the teachers raise their voices and stand by them.
Fakhrul said BNP’s ongoing movement is not only for the restoration of democracy but also for the existence of the nation. “If there is no democracy, our existence will be at stake. So, our now main task is to restore that democracy,” he said.
