NCTB to Remove Scales of Justice Image from Class Six Textbook

The National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) has decided to remove an image of a weighing scale used as a symbol of wisdom from the Class Six Information and Communication Technology (ICT) textbook for the 2027 academic year, following controversy over its use.

Under the revised decision, the textbook will retain the names of the four levels of the knowledge pyramid but will not include any symbols or icons.

NCTB member AKM Shawkat Ali Khan confirmed the decision on Sunday, October 25. He said the four levels, data, information, knowledge and wisdom, would remain in the book without any icons.

“This is how the book will be published next year. We will revise these elements further the following year to ensure that no incorrect information is included,” he said.

According to NCTB sources, around 3.8 million copies of the Class Six ICT textbook had been planned for printing for the 2027 academic year. Of these, approximately two million copies had already been printed and sent to the field level for distribution.

However, on Thursday night, October 22, the NCTB ordered a halt to the printing process. It also directed that copies already sent to the field be collected and redistributed later.

The controversy arose over an image of a weighing scale used to represent wisdom in the knowledge pyramid in the textbook's “Data and Information” chapter. The symbol resembles the electoral symbol of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, prompting criticism and leading to the NCTB's decision to remove it.

How the Scales Became the Symbol of Wisdom

The English word “wisdom” means “প্রজ্ঞা” in Bengali. However, in the Class Six ICT textbook for the 2025 academic year, the Bengali translation used at the wisdom level of the knowledge pyramid was “বুদ্ধি” (intelligence). At the time, the symbol used for the level was a weighing scale.

For the 2026 academic year, the NCTB changed the symbol for “বুদ্ধি”, replacing the weighing scale with an image of a brain.

During the revision of the textbook for the 2027 academic year, a committee recommended replacing “বুদ্ধি” with “প্রজ্ঞা” (wisdom). The committee was also instructed to retain the brain symbol.

However, the final revision did not retain the brain image. Although the term was changed from “বুদ্ধি” to “প্রজ্ঞা”, the weighing scale was reintroduced as the symbol for the level, triggering the controversy.