On 17 August, a Supreme Court lawyer served a legal notice demanding that the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) remove Charles Darwin's theory of evolution from the Class 9 and 10 biology textbooks.
Sarwar Hossain argued that the theory conflicts with religious beliefs and places "unnecessary pressure" on young students. He warned that he would file a writ petition in the High Court if the demand was not addressed.
The incident immediately sparked reactions and discussions on the topic.
Amid the renewed debate, Speaking to Stream, MA Aziz, professor of the Department of Zoology at Jahangirnagar University, said the debate has always been present.
"There has been much debate on Darwin's theory of evolution from the very beginning. The aspects of evolution are not clear due to the lack of supporting evidence, as the evolution of a species takes millions of years, and it is impossible to observe the evolution process."
He also said Darwin, himself, wasn't too focused on the aspect of evolution.
"Given the ongoing debates among scientific communities during his time, Darwin himself didn't focus much on the evolution of humans in his first book, 'The Origin of Species', published in 1859. Therefore, he later published 'The Descent of Man' in 1871, where evolutionary aspects were discussed in detail," he said.
On the question of whether the theory of evolution should be taught in school or not, he said, "The theory of evolution is controversial. School-going students are not intellectually mature enough to handle such controversial arguments. Besides, many other important theories haven't been added to the curriculum. Focus should be given to contemporary and new things for a better outcome.
He also said teachers at the school level may not always be trained enough to handle such discussions.
"Darwin's theory of evolution is okay for university students who can discuss, debate, and do research, not for school-going students," he added.
Speaking to Stream, Mohammad Firoj Jaman, a professor at the Department of Zoology at the University of Dhaka, said the debate stemmed from the representation of Darwin's theory in the textbook, which he termed misleading.
"According to Darwin's theory, every species has its predecessor. Darwin never said that humans came from chimpanzees. Chimpanzees have been chimpanzees since the beginning of creation. He simply argued that the morphology and physiology of chimpanzees have changed over time."
He said the argument generally stems from an illustration showing man evolving from ape, which was not factual.
Addressing the debate over teaching evolution in schools, he said, "The actual theory of evolution by Darwin should be taught at a school level. But the model shown in the textbook and the description of the model [the progression from ape to modern human in an evolutionary line] should be removed as it is very misleading."
Darwinism in textbooks: Rekindling an old debate
This is not the first time Darwin's theory became a lightning rod for those seeking attention or preaching piety.
According to reports, in early 2023, Golam Kibria Tipu, a former member of parliament from Barishal-3 constituency, slammed the government in Parliament for including the theory in school textbooks, branding it "anti-religious" and even calling for a blasphemy law.
"Saying human beings descended from apes is an anti-religious propaganda. As Muslims, we are the children of Adam … It [Darwin's theory] is an insult to Islam. A blasphemy law should be enacted in this regard," he told Parliament back then.
At the time, officials of the NCTB clarified that the textbooks did not suggest humans evolved from apes, a claim they said was a common misconception.
The Ministry of Education has not yet responded to the notice sent by by Sarwar Hossain.
According to Sarwar, the theory was introduced into the curriculum during the tenure of the previous Awami League government, reportedly at the initiative of Professor Muhammad Zafar Iqbal.
He argued that secondary-level students should not be taught the theory, claiming that many international curricula, including Cambridge, do not include it at that level.
"Teaching evolution creates unnecessary pressure on young minds. It may be taught at higher levels for research purposes, but not in secondary education," he said.
"We believe that humanity began with Adam and Eve, as mentioned in Islam. Evolutionary theory, which claims humans originated from apes, contradicts this," he said.
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