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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said providing children with opportunities to develop their talents and abilities will help build a stronger foundation for the country.
He made the remarks on Tuesday morning at a programme marking Children’s Rights Day 2026 and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh Shishu Academy.
“Just as a family’s foundation depends on children growing up properly, the future of a country also depends on the proper development of its children,” he said.
Addressing the children at the beginning of the programme, the prime minister said the event was primarily about them and that listening to children should be its main focus rather than speeches by adults.
Recalling his childhood, Tarique said he had visited Shishu Academy as a child when its activities were first launched. He also recalled that stories written by him and his younger brother had been published in the academy’s children’s magazine, Shishu.
The prime minister urged parents and schools not to limit children to academic studies, but to give them opportunities to participate in sports, arts, culture and music.
“I will not talk to you about studying today. I will tell you that you must play,” he said.
Noting that every child has some form of talent, he said some children are good at drawing, while others enjoy recitation, singing, dancing or playing musical instruments. Proper opportunities are needed to help them develop those abilities, he added.
Tarique also encouraged children interested in instruments such as guitars, harmoniums and flutes to learn them properly, while those interested in singing, dancing, Quran recitation or qirat should also be given opportunities to develop their skills.
Highlighting government initiatives, he said children are being given opportunities to participate in sports from the primary-school level.
For the first time, around 2.2 million primary-school children—1.1 million boys and 1.1 million girls—have participated in football competitions nationwide, he said, expressing hope that continued programmes would help produce internationally competitive players.
The prime minister also announced plans to revive the “Notun Kuri” talent programme and expand sports activities, referring to sporting events planned from Sylhet to the Army Stadium in Dhaka.
He stressed that children should have opportunities to develop skills in at least one area of arts, culture, music or sports.
Tarique said most families cannot afford to provide such opportunities on their own. Therefore, the government is working to ensure that children in remote villages, as well as those in cities, have access to arts, cultural, musical and sporting activities through schools.
“Every child has some quality. What we need to do is provide them with the opportunity through which they can develop themselves,” he said.
He said preparations for the initiatives were largely complete, with the government aiming to launch the full process in 2027 or 2028. Students at primary and secondary levels will be able to choose areas such as singing, musical instruments and sports according to their interests, he added.
The prime minister also said the government plans to introduce opportunities for children to learn additional foreign languages at school to better prepare them for higher education and employment opportunities abroad.
Alongside Bangla and English, children will be able to choose from languages including Arabic, Mandarin, German and Japanese, he said.
Tarique stressed that children should not only excel in education, sports, arts, culture and languages but also grow into compassionate human beings.
“You must be compassionate. You must also be compassionate towards the nature, animals and birds of this country,” he said.
He urged children to care for trees at home, at school and in their surroundings and to treat animals and birds kindly, saying responsible behaviour towards nature and biodiversity is essential to building a humane Bangladesh.
