March 7 speech to stay in textbooks after heated debate
The National Curriculum Committee (NCC) has rejected a proposal to remove Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic March 7 speech from national curriculum textbooks. Instead, it has decided that the speech will be included in an abridged form.
The decision was made on Monday (18 August) during a meeting held at the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) office in Motijheel, Dhaka.
The meeting was convened to approve revised textbooks for classes six to twelve for the 2026 academic year and featured heated discussions over the inclusion of the March 7 speech.
According to several NCC members present at the meeting, the NCTB’s editorial council had proposed omitting the speech. Teachers involved in textbook review under the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education also reportedly supported its removal.
However, several education officials at the meeting opposed the idea, arguing in favour of retaining the speech in a condensed form. Following a debate, the committee reached a consensus to include an abridged version of the speech in the textbooks.
Meanwhile, some members raised objections to an essay titled “Our New Tale of Glory” on the July movement, alleging that it presented a fragmented portrayal of the 2024 mass uprising. They also claimed that Sheikh Hasina’s name was deliberately omitted from the account of the brutal massacre. After further discussion, it was decided that the article would be revised to include Sheikh Hasina’s name as one of those responsible for the massacre.
Two officials who attended the meeting, speaking to Jago News on condition of anonymity, said that acting NCTB Chairman (additional charge) Professor Robiul Kabir Chowdhury and Bangla Academy Director General Professor Mohammad Azam supported retaining the March 7 speech, stressing its historical significance.
They added that although a faction within the education department strongly opposed its inclusion, their position did not prevail. The disagreement led to intense arguments between the two sides. Ultimately, it was agreed in principle that the abridged speech would be included in the textbooks for classes eight and eleven.
When contacted, the acting NCTB Chairman (additional charge) told Jago News on Monday night that Bangabandhu’s March 7 speech had previously been included in the class eight textbook, and it will now remain in abridged form. The same applies to the class eleven textbook. He added that the Education Adviser would formally brief the media on the matter.