Children should take advantage of opportunities to develop their talent: PM

Every child in the country has some kind of talent. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has called for creating opportunities for children to participate in sports, arts and culture, music and various creative activities alongside their studies so they can develop those talents.

He said, “Every child has some kind of quality or talent. What we need to do is simply provide them with the opportunity through which they can develop themselves.”

The prime minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a program organized today to mark Children’s Rights Day 2026 and the 50th anniversary of the Bangladesh Shishu Academy.

This year’s theme is “Let Children’s Future Be Secure.” The prime minister said children are an important foundation of a family. If children grow up properly, the foundation of the country, along with that of their families, will become stronger. If we can provide children with opportunities to develop properly, the foundation of our country will become much stronger.

The prime minister expressed hope that if children are raised properly, they will lead Bangladesh in the competitive world in the future and build a strong Bangladesh.

Addressing the children, the prime minister said, “It is not enough to do well only in academics. You also have to do well in sports, arts, culture and music, among other areas. I will not talk to you about your studies today. I will tell you that you must play sports.”

The prime minister said, “Some children are good at drawing, some can recite poetry, some like singing or playing musical instruments, while others are talented in dancing or reciting the Quran. Every child must be given the opportunity to develop themselves according to their own interests and preferences.”

Tarique Rahman said the government is creating opportunities for children not only to develop their talents but also to participate in sports. Recently, a nationwide football competition was organized at the primary level with the participation of both boys and girls. For the first time in Bangladesh, nearly 2.2 million children—1.1 million boys and 1.1 million girls—from the primary school level participated in the football competition.

The prime minister expressed hope that if this initiative continues, international-standard athletes will one day emerge from among these children.

He said President Ziaur Rahman had launched the “Notun Kuri” program to develop children’s cultural talents. The current government has taken new initiatives alongside that program to promote children’s participation in sports.

The prime minister said, “The government wants every child to have the opportunity to develop skills in at least one area of arts, culture, music or sports. We are working to create opportunities for art, culture, sports and music from the school level so that children in remote villages can also have access to these opportunities.”

He said preparations for implementing the program have advanced considerably, with the goal of fully implementing it from 2027 or 2028.

The prime minister said every child will be given the opportunity to choose, according to their interests, one of various options such as learning to sing, playing a musical instrument or participating in sports.
Emphasizing the importance of children learning foreign languages with their future careers in mind, the prime minister said, “Alongside Bangla and English, opportunities will be created for children to learn various foreign languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, German and Japanese. Knowing a third language will be extremely helpful for those who go abroad in the future for higher education or employment. This will give them an added advantage in competing with people from other countries on the international stage.”

Urging children to grow up as compassionate human beings, the prime minister said a person does not become complete simply by excelling in studies, sports, arts and culture or by knowing multiple languages; they must also be humane.

He said, “You have to be compassionate. You have to be compassionate toward the nature of this country and toward its animals and birds as well.”

The prime minister said, “The government wants to build a humane Bangladesh where people will be kind not only to other people but also to nature and all living things created by nature.”

He urged children to take care of trees, animals and birds, saying a tree should be nurtured and raised with the same care as a child. Likewise, they should be compassionate toward the animals and birds around them. “If we are kind to nature, nature will certainly be kind to us,” he said.

Emphasizing the role of children in keeping the environment clean, the prime minister said the practice of throwing garbage indiscriminately on roads and elsewhere must be stopped. He urged children to politely ask adults to dispose of their garbage in the proper place if they see them littering.

Addressing the children, he said, “As a child, you can tell them, ‘Please throw the garbage in the proper place. If you damage the environment, I will suffer. My suffering means millions and billions of children in Bangladesh will suffer.’”

Calling on parents to instill in their children a love for and sense of responsibility toward nature, the environment and biodiversity, the prime minister said everyone has a responsibility to build the country. He said a clean, beautiful, humane and strong Bangladesh can be built through collective efforts and small individual actions.

After concluding his speech, the prime minister enjoyed a cultural program performed by children. He exchanged greetings with the participating children and joined them for a photo session. He also answered various questions from the children.

He then visited an exhibition of paintings drawn by children and a photo gallery. At the end of the program, the prime minister went to the Children’s Museum building and inaugurated a solar panel system and a substation on the ground floor of the building. Earlier in the morning, when the prime minister arrived at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy, 150 children welcomed him. The program later began with the national anthem.

The event was chaired by Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs Professor Dr. A. Z. M. Zahid Hossain. Prime Minister’s wife and vice chairperson of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, Dr. Zubaida Rahman, also spoke at the event.