Bangladesh to Include Sharif Osman Hadi’s Story in School Textbooks from 2028

The decision was taken during a meeting held at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, attended by members of the committee, including the Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division, Abdul Khaleque.

According to two committee members, several significant revisions are being planned for upcoming textbooks. As part of these changes, new lessons for the Class 9–10 Bengali literature textbook are expected to be developed based on two essays by former President Ziaur Rahman titled “A Nation’s Birth” and “Memories of the Liberation War.”

They also said that discussions were held on including Sharif Osman bin Hadi, described as a frontline participant in the July uprising, in the curriculum. Under the committee’s decision, his life story and contributions are expected to be presented in textbooks from the 2028 academic year under the new curriculum framework.

Sources from the meeting said that in the Grade 5 Bengali textbook chapter titled “We Will Not Forget You,” figures such as Titumir, Pritilata Waddedar, Noor Hossain, Abu Sayeed, and Mir Mugdho are already presented in a similar format, and a comparable inclusion is planned for Osman Hadi.

Following the July uprising, the interim government initiated a review of the national curriculum. Later, revisions were made to textbooks based on the 2012 curriculum framework. It has also been reported that, after a BNP-led government formation, a policy decision was taken to introduce a new curriculum from 2028.

Sharif Osman Hadi, originally from Nalchity in Jhalokathi, is the son of a madrasa teacher. He studied at Nesarabad Kamil Madrasa before enrolling at Dhaka University, where he studied political science. He later worked as a teacher at a private university.

On December 12 last year, Hadi was shot in the head by unidentified assailants in the Box Culvert Road area of Purana Paltan in Dhaka. He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital. As his condition worsened, he was airlifted to Singapore on December 15 for advanced treatment, where he died on December 18.

He was actively involved in the July uprising and gained attention after forming Inqilab Manch following August 5. He had also intended to contest parliamentary elections from Dhaka-8 constituency before his death.