Govt removes controversial third gender chapter Sharifa's Story from textbook
The ministry has instructed the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) to take necessary steps
The Education Ministry has decided to remove "Sharifa's Story" from the History and Social Science textbook of class 7 following recommendations of a probe committee, according to media reports.
The ministry has instructed the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) to take necessary steps in this regard.
"There will be a new story about the Hijra community. Our main objective is teaching. This is why the essence of this story will remain the same but the presentation will be different," Professor Md Moshiuzzaman, chairman of NCTB, told TBS.
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"As the story drew a lot of debates, the decision to remove it from the textbook was taken."
Sharifa's Story discusses the experiences and challenges faced by a transgender individual.
In the story, the main character, Sharif, is assigned male at birth but later in life identifies as a woman and adopts the name Sharifa. Subsequently, Sharifa chooses to live as a member of the Hijra community.
The story came under the spotlight when Asif Mahtab, a part-time lecturer at Brac University, objected to its inclusion in the textbook, arguing that "students were being introduced to transgender and homosexual concepts through the story."
A video depicting Asif Mahtab tearing down the pages of the textbook, which included the story, at an event went viral on social media.
On 23 January, Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury at the Secretariat told reporters if any inconsistency was found in the story, it would be amended.
