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Political overdose for primary students

18 books on the Zias, many authored by selection committee members, wives and friends

MUSTAK HOSSAIN
A committee has selected 18 books on late president Ziaur Rahman and Prime Minister Khaleda Zia as rapid readers for primary students.
Political bias rather than contents was pivotal in selecting 14 books on Ziaur Rahman and four on Khaleda, alleged sources in the publishing industry.
The list of 250 books selected for different areas of Bangladesh also includes many on Islamic ideology. The committee also recommended five books written by Professor Jahanara Begum, advisor of the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education Division (PMED) with a state minister status.
The motive behind the selection was not only to please the ruling BNP but to promote unfamiliar books, the sources alleged.
The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has floated a tender on procurement of about 2.22 lakh copies of the books
on primary and mass education. The government will spend several crore taka on the yearly project.
Many of the enlisted books were authored by committee members, their wives and friends, publishers alleged.
The list includes five books written by Abu Saleh, a leader of the Jatiyatabadi Samajik Sangskritik Sangstha, three by Iftekhar Rasul George, owner of Nowroj Sahitya Sangsad, two by MA Motalib Akhond, four by Al Mujahidi and two each by Mahmud Shafiq and Ahmed Musa, members of the selection committee.
The committee headed by Professor Wakil Ahmed of Dhaka University ignored the books of noted authors like Begum Sufia Kamal, Shawkat Osman, Hassan Azizul Huq, Dr Anisuzzaman and Humayun Azad.
Prof Wakil Ahmed told The Daily Star yesterday, "We tried to accommodate good books. But we could not always ensure quality. We live in a sickening society... " He declined to comment on the selection of 14 books on Ziaur Rahman and four on Khaleda.
Writers like Satyajit Ray and Mohammad Zafar Iqbal and national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam were not included. Only one book each of Rabindranath Tagore, Shamsur Rahman and Jasimuddin was enlisted.
The sources say the committee selected the books of a few others like the three only to cover up its political bias.
The city's bookshops do not sell most of these books. "The books are not available, as they are project-oriented," says a publisher. "Those books are not meant for all," he said requesting anonymity.
Eight hundred books were submitted to the NCTB when it invited samples and proposals. But not all were selected on merit, another publisher alleged.
The committee enlisted at least a dozen biographical books on Ziaur Rahman, including Chhotoder Shaheed Zia, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Chhotoder Priyo Zia, Sabar Priyo Shaheed Zia, Chhotoder Zia, Chhotoder Ziaur Rahman Jibon Karma Rajniti, Zia Chhotoder
Bhalobashar Banshibadok, Tomar Amar Ziaur Rahman and Hridoy Jure Ekti Nam Ziaur Rahman.
The books on Khaleda include Chhotoder Begum Khaleda Zia, Chhotoder Bandhu Begum Khaleda Zia and Priyodeshonetri Khaleda Zia.
A book on Genghis Khan was also included in the list.
Earlier, a committee selected as many as 52 books on Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia for public and college libraries.
In the past, the Awami League also enlisted books for libraries on political considerations. During its rule, the AL selected as many as 34 books on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, seven on AL President Sheikh Hasina and 13 written by pro-AL intellectuals.