PM calls for talent nurturing for every child

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has urged that every child be afforded ample opportunities to cultivate their innate talents alongside formal schooling, arguing that a well-rounded younger generation is indispensable to the nation's long-term prosperity.

Addressing a ceremony on Tuesday to mark Children's Rights Day and the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, Rahman encouraged young people to immerse themselves in sports, the arts, music and other creative pursuits. He maintained that each child possesses distinctive aptitudes, whether in painting, poetry, dance or musical performance, and that these gifts should therefore be nurtured rather than neglected. Furthermore, he stressed that children must cultivate compassion towards people, nature and wildlife, describing such values as the cornerstone of a humane society. Meanwhile, the government is scaling up initiatives to promote sporting and cultural activities from the primary level onwards. Rahman disclosed that 2.2 million primary pupils, comprising 1.1 million boys and 1.1 million girls, had taken part in nationwide football tournaments for the first time, adding that sustained investment could produce internationally competitive athletes.

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In addition, the government intends to revitalise the New Buds programme and to introduce more extensive sporting activities, including in rural areas, with a comprehensive framework targeted for 2027 or 2028. Rahman also outlined proposals to introduce a third foreign language in schools in order to broaden pupils' prospects of pursuing higher education and employment overseas. Alongside Bangla and English, students would be able to opt for Arabic, Mandarin, German or Japanese. Nevertheless, he cautioned that academic and extracurricular accomplishments alone would prove insufficient; consequently, children must also develop empathy and a sense of responsibility towards their communities and the natural environment.