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Technical education will be made compulsory from Class 6, while sports will become mandatory from Class 4 in all educational institutions across Bangladesh from the next academic year, Youth and Sports State Minister Md Aminul Haque has said.
He made the announcement on Friday (August 14) while speaking as the chief guest at a shadow parliament organised at the capital’s FDC to mark International Youth Day 2026.
“We are taking measures to ensure that young people do not remain unemployed at home after earning their degrees. They will be given opportunities to acquire skills through various forms of technical education and become self-reliant,” Aminul said.
He also stressed the importance of sports in keeping young people away from drug addiction.
“There is no alternative to sports for keeping young people free from drug addiction,” he said.
The state minister said the government was working to establish sports as a profession and planned to build playgrounds wherever vacant land was available.
Reflecting on the past 17 years, Aminul alleged that widespread corruption had taken place in the name of developing skills.
“The present government is pursuing a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption. Rather than engaging in politics of revenge and retaliation, our goal is to empower young people by creating a fair and transparent political environment,” he said.
He said developing a capable and productive youth population was one of the government’s key priorities.
The event was organised by Debate for Democracy with support from CARE Bangladesh and SOS Children’s Villages Bangladesh.
Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran chaired the programme and reiterated young people’s demands for quality education, decent employment, security and a sustainable future.
The shadow parliament debate was held on the motion, “Private-sector involvement is more important than government involvement in developing a skilled youth workforce.”
The debating team of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University emerged victorious after defeating the team from Eastern University.
The judging panel comprised Professor Abu Muhammad Rais, Dr Sheikh Mohammad Zobaid Hossain, Dr SM Morshed, CARE Bangladesh Director Rownak Jahan and SOS Deputy National Director Md Masud Rana.
