Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman’s article Memories of the War of Independence is set to be included in the Bangla Literature textbook for Class IX and X from the 2027 academic year.
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has also taken an initiative to include an image of a historic diary kept by Ziaur Rahman during the Liberation War.
NCTB Chairman Professor Mohammed Fakhrul Mawla said the National Curriculum Coordination Committee (NCCC) has given final approval to include the article as a new chapter in the Class IX-X Bangla Literature textbook.
He said the initiative was taken to present the contributions of different individuals to the Liberation War in an impartial and objective manner.
According to NCTB officials, the article, published in the now-defunct Dainik Desh in 1980, is considered an important memoir of the Liberation War. The textbook will include accounts of the armed uprising in Chattogram, the declaration of independence from Kalurghat and the early stages of the war.
The accompanying author biography identifies Ziaur Rahman as the declarer of independence, former president and army chief, commander of Z Force and Sector 1, and a recipient of the Bir Uttam award.
The textbook will also describe the Liberation War as a people’s war and highlight the contributions of key figures including Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq, Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman and Tajuddin Ahmad.
Educationists said the inclusion of the article would give students an opportunity to learn about the Liberation War through a historical account written by Ziaur Rahman.
National Professor Dr Mahbub Ullah said the article has historical value and its inclusion in the textbook would help students understand the struggle for independence.
Professor Shah Shamim Ahmed of Dhaka University’s Institute of Education and Research said the move would allow future generations to learn about the Liberation War from an objective historical perspective.
The decision to include the article was taken at an NCCC meeting on August 24, chaired by the Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division.
Secretary Abdul Khaleque said the article was unanimously approved by the committee and expressed hope that it would help the new generation learn about the history of the Liberation War.
