More than 500 citizens issued a statement condemning the decision of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board to remove graffiti containing tribal words from the cover of paper textbooks of class IX and X Bengal II.
This information was reported in a notice sent to the media on Thursday (January 16).
We strongly condemn the decision of the National Curriculum and Textbook Board to remove the graffiti bearing the word ‘Adivasi’ from the back cover of the Bengali Grammar and Composition textbooks for class IX and X in view of the demands of Students for Sovereignty. The statement said.
She said that this action by the Education Board not only shows a disregard for the identity and rights of indigenous people in Bangladesh, but also directly contradicts the anti-discrimination spirit of the July Uprising.
The statement also said that since Bangladesh’s independence, various repressions have continued for decades, including expulsion from the land, erasure of their cultural identity and role from the history of this land, and denial of political visibility. Moreover, instead of recognizing them as “tribes,” the Constitution distorted them and deprived them of their due rights by calling them “tribes” and “minorities.”
Fugitive Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ended this deprivation by issuing the Minority Cultural Institutions Act 2010 as soon as she came to power. In the post-coup era, when we talk about establishing a multicultural democracy, this decision of the Textbook Board based on the opinion of some students is arbitrary and undemocratic. Even more disturbing is that the NCTB decision endorses the fascist Awami policy of denying the existence of indigenous peoples through the 15th Amendment and structurally eliminating indigenous communities.
That NCTB decision-making occurred overnight under pressure from one or more groups indicates a lack of transparency in the institution’s decision-making process. We call on NCTB to accept and apologize for this discriminatory behavior towards the indigenous people of Bangladesh and to actively participate in the process of establishing Bangladesh as a pluralistic nation and society.
Their demands
1. Graffiti containing tribal words should be returned to school textbooks.
2. Indigenous culture and history should be properly presented in textbooks.
The statement added, “The spirit of the July uprising is the fiery signature of resistance against oppression and discrimination.” To submit to any action that undermines the dignity and rights of indigenous peoples in this country is to betray that spirit. We call on all citizens, activists and organizations to unite against such hateful activities.