Be friendly with children: PM to guardians

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday advised the guardians to become friendly with their children to keep them away from menaces like terrorism, militancy, drugs, and corruption.

“There should be a friendly relationship with parents. If so, they [children] cannot go astray. They must be given the lesson of honesty from their childhood to keep them away from terrorism, militancy, drugs, and corruption,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing a programme organised at Tungipara in Gopalganj to celebrate the 104th birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and National Children’s Day-2024.

She said the children should be engaged in extracurricular activities like sports, painting, music, and other cultural exercises and religious education alongside their classes.

“I would like to request guardians and teachers that you should pay attention so that the children would be imbued with human values on the one hand and they get scopes to flourish their latent talents on the other hand,” she said.

Noting that education is very essential, Sheikh Hasina asked the guardians and teachers not to create any undue pressure on the children in the name of education.

She said the children should learn their lessons through sports that would create scope to develop their hidden talents. “We want to go ahead making curriculum accordingly.”

In “Digital Bangladesh,” she said that children now can see the world through digital devices.

“So, they can learn not only by reading the textbooks but also by watching with their eyes. And then they would be smart citizens in Smart Bangladesh. We want it.”

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs arranged the programme under the management of the Gopalganj district administration.

This year the theme of the day is "Bangabandhu’r Swapna Dhore, Anbo Hasi Sobar Ghore (Smiles to be brought to every house with the implementation of the dream of Bangabandhu).”

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Simeen Hussain (Rimi), Secretary Nazma Mobarek, and child Tayeba Tasmeen (on behalf of the children) spoke at the function.

Child Piyasha Jamil presided over the function, jointly moderated by two children Abdur Rahman and Lamiatul Bari.

Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Sabirul Islam and Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner Kazi Mahbubul Alam were also on the stage. Cabinet members, members of parliament, political leaders, and high officials were present in the programme.

A documentary titled “Bangabandhu and Children Rights” was screened.

The prime minister distributed prizes among the winners of quiz, painting, recitation, patriotic song, and dance competition organised by the Gopalganj district administration on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu and National Children’s Day.

Besides, 104 insolvent students received Tk5,000 as a financial donation on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s birthday and Children’s Day.