State Minister for Youth and Sports, Aminul Haque, announced on Monday that the government is making sports mandatory for students from Class IV starting from the next academic year.
The Minister stated that the initiative aims to encourage students to engage in physical activities while keeping them away from electronic devices.
He made these remarks as the chief guest during the opening ceremony of a three-day inter-university ‘Athletics (Boys-Girls) and Basketball (Boys) Competition 2026’ held at the central cricket ground of Islamic University (IU).
“We want to spread sports to the grassroots level, and university-level competitions are a key medium for this,” the State Minister said.
He emphasised that by prioritising sports in schools and colleges, the government intends to bring qualitative changes to family, social, and state structures while ensuring physical fitness.
Expressing a commitment to building a drug-free society, the Minister added that sports is a primary tool to distract the future generation from electronic devices.
To support this, the government plans to appoint subject-based sports teachers in every upazila under the supervision of subject-specific sports officers, specifically targeting those with academic or professional backgrounds in sports.
Highlighting the Prime Minister’s initiatives, Aminul Haque noted that national athletes are being provided with professional recognition through sports allowances and cards.
“We have already distributed sports cards to 300 athletes, and gradually 500 national players will be brought under this allowance programme,” he said.
He also mentioned that the Prime Minister recently inaugurated ‘Notun Kuri Sports’ across 64 districts, currently featuring eight events for boys and girls aged 12 to 14, with plans to expand to the Union level next year.
The ceremony was presided over by Islamic University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Nakib Mohammad Nasrullah.
Kushtia Zila Parishad Administrator, Valiant Freedom Fighter Alhaj Principal Sohrab Uddin, and Jhenaidah Zila Parishad Administrator, Abdul Majid, attended as guests of honour.
Special guests included IU Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr M. Yaqub Ali and Treasurer Professor Dr Mohammad Jahangir Alam.
A total of 21 universities are participating in the event, which features 30 athletics events alongside a basketball competition for boys.
The 19 events for male students include various sprints, long-distance runs, and field events such as javelin, pole vault, and hurdles, while the 11 events for female students include sprints, hurdles, and jumps.
