The Prime Minister said many children have talents in drawing, recitation, music, dance and other creative activities, and urged them to develop those talents fully.

He said the government wants children to have exposure to arts and culture alongside sports and music so that they can develop themselves according to their individual interests.

Tarique Rahman said the government has already taken initiatives to identify and develop children's sporting talents, including a nationwide primary-level football competition in which around 22 lakhs boys and girls participated.

He expressed the hope that if such initiatives are continued, internationally acclaimed footballers and other sports talents would emerge from among the country's children.

He also recalled the “Natun Kuri” programme introduced by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman to promote children's cultural talents, saying the programme has been revived alongside a sports-based “Natun Kuri” initiative.

“We want to build our children in such a way that a child will have good exposure to art and culture, become skilled in them, and similarly develop proficiency in music and sports,” he said.
The Prime Minister said many families, particularly those in remote and rural areas, cannot afford to provide children with opportunities for extracurricular activities.

“So, from the school level, we are trying to create facilities for arts, culture, sports and music so that every child can choose a subject according to his or her preference,” he said.

He said the government expects to begin the full process from 2027 or 2028, under which children at primary and secondary levels would have opportunities to learn music, play musical instruments and choose sports according to their interests.

The Prime Minister also announced plans to introduce opportunities for children to learn a third language in addition to Bangla and English, with options including Arabic, Mandarin, German and Japanese.

He said knowledge of an additional foreign language would help children in their future education and employment abroad and enable them to compete and survive more effectively in the global environment.

However, he stressed that academic, sporting, artistic or linguistic achievements alone would not be enough. “Children must also become humane,” he said, urging them to show compassion not only towards people but also towards nature, animals and birds.

Calling upon parents and guardians to instil a sense of responsibility towards the environment and other living beings in children, the Prime Minister said, “If we are kind to nature, nature will certainly be kind to us.”

The premier also urged children to care for trees and animals around their homes and schools and sought their cooperation in keeping the environment clean. He asked them to discourage adults from throwing garbage indiscriminately in public places.

“If you see an adult throwing garbage or waste somewhere and harming the environment, you can tell them to put it in the proper place,” he said.

Tarique Rahman said a clean environment would help children grow up in a healthy environment and become physically and mentally healthy people.

He called on all sections of society to work together to build the country saying the task does not necessarily require major efforts but can be achieved through small, collective actions.
“We will build this country ourselves. If we want to build the country, all of us must work together,” he said.

The Prime Minister also recalled visiting the academy as a child with his younger brother and parents- Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and Begum Khaleda Zia- at the time of its inauguration.

He said he also found some of his and his younger brother’s writings displayed at the academy, taking him back five decades in his memories.

Prime Minister’s wife and Vice-President of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation Dr Zubaida Rahman also addressed the event, chaired by Women and Children Affairs Minister Prof Dr. A Z M Zahid Hossain.

Earlier, 150 children welcomed the Prime Minister when he arrived at Bangladesh Shishu Academy premises. Later, the programme began with the national anthem.

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister enjoyed a cultural event performed by children and visited the children's drawings and a photo exhibition gallery.

Sun News/ rabbi