PM calls for giving importance to sports, cultural activities in schools

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the schools to give equal importance to extra curriculum activities like sports, music, cultural events in schools side by side with education to flourish the genius of the children.

The prime minister also urged the teachers and guardians to be attentive to keep their kids detach from terrorism, militancy and drug aimed at growing them up as ideal citizens to lead the country in a better way in future.

The prime minister was distributing prizes among the winners of the 46th National School and Madrasa Winter Sports Competition at Bangabandhu National Stadium here this morning.

"I will urge the teachers to be more attentive to extra curriculum activities of the children instead of always telling them for reading, which is not acceptable to them," the prime minister said.

Sports, music, cultural competition, education side by side other extra curriculum activities like essay writing and other competitions can help the children to develop their physical and mental growth," she said.

"Students must pursue their education, and certainly they should also actively take part in the sports and cultural activities," the prime minister noted.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid presided over the function while secretary of the education ministry Sohrab Hossein, Director General of Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Dr S M Wahiduzzaman, secretary of Technical and Madrasah Education Department Mohammad Alamgir spoke among others. Professor Mahbubur Rahman, chairman of Dhaka Education Board, gave welcome address.

Primarily around 2.50 lakh students from 16,101 primary schools and 7,611 madrasas took part in 60 events of the competition organized by the Ministry of Education. Out of them a total of 808 students including 344 girls from 184 educational institutions compete in four groups at national level held from January 16 to 21, 2017.

On the occasion students of Narayangani Ideal School and Bangladesh Girls' Guide Association presented attractive display on language movement, struggle for independence under the leadership of Bangabandhu, War of Liberation, women development in addition to natural, cultural and social aspects of Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina said her government after assuming in power in 1996 had attached importance to sports and after coming to power in 2009 her government has been giving importance to indigenous sport events including football, kabadi, handball, swimming, hockey, cricket, basketball, volleyball, badminton, athletics, table tennis.

She said sports competitions are being arranged at upazila, district, sub-regional, regional and national level which are playing important role to grow up skilled sports persons in the country gradually.

Sheikh Hasina expressed her firm conviction that the sports competitions would help creating many promising talents in future thus enriching the country's sports arena. Gradually our sports persons would bring honour for us from international events, she hoped.

Later the prime minister handed over trophies, medal and certificates among the winners of different event of the competition.

Source: BSS