Textbook Errors: 4 more NCTB officials transferred
The government yesterday transferred four officials of National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) to public colleges outside Dhaka over the errors in this year's school textbooks.
The education ministry issued a circular to this end, asking them to leave their current positions by today. Otherwise, they will be considered as stand-released from noon, according to the order.
The NCTB staff are Prof Abdul Mannan and associate professors Gaurango Lal Sarker, Mosleh Uddin Sarker and Hannan Mia.
The move came more than a month after a high-powered probe committee formed by the ministry submitted a report holding seven, including the four NCTB officials, responsible for the mistakes.
Faced with severe criticism for embarrassing blunders in textbooks, the ministry formed the probe body to find out errors in the textbooks and people responsible. The committee submitted its reports with recommendations on February 23.
Prof Mannan, a member of the board's primary curriculum wing, was transferred to Government KC College in Jhenidah and Gouranga, editor of the organisation, to Hatiya Dwip Government College in Noakhali.
NCTB specialists Mosle Uddin and Hannan were transferred to Patuakhali Government Girls College and Pirganj Government College in Thakurgaon.
Earlier on Tuesday, the ministry issued transfer order of NCTB's Research Officer Rebeka Sultana Lipi to Government Shaheed Suhrawardy College in Dhaka. Rebeka was among the seven officials held responsible for the textbook errors by the probe committee.
On the same day, NCTB Secretary Imrul Hasan was transferred to Thakurgaon's Pirganj Government College for not discharging his duty of supervising properly. He will be replaced by Comilla Victoria College Associate Prof Md Nizamul Karim.
The remaining two of the seven officials had been made officials on special duty (OSD), a status regarded as punishment, in January when the errors were brought to the fore.
They were Pritish Kumar Sarkar, chief editor of NCTB, and Lana Humayra Khan, senior expert, of the board.
The education ministry also suspended the board's artist-cum-designer Sujaul Abedin at the time.
So far, the government took measures against nine NCTB officials, but is yet to make any move to correct the mistakes in the textbooks.
The government has been facing widespread criticism from various quarters over the embarrassing blunders in textbooks and dropping of some contents, since the distribution of some 36.21 crore textbooks to 4.26 crore students at primary and secondary levels on January 1.
The ministry has not taken any step regarding the changes made in the textbook contents this year.
Many alleged that the government made the changes as per the demands of Hefajat-e-Islam and Bangladesh Awami Olama League who wanted exclusion of some contents written by “Hindus and atheists”.
Eminent citizens and different organisations condemned the anomalies in the textbooks and demanded withdrawal of the books.
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