Sports education will become mandatory in the country’s education system from the 2027 academic year, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque announced today.
“We are making many things mandatory in the education sector. We are going to make sports mandatory from the 2027 academic year,” he told reporters after the first session of the Deputy Commissioners’ Conference.
The Cabinet Division organised the conference at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.
Aminul highlighted the government’s wider plan to build a skilled, capable and self-reliant youth population through both sports and development programmes.
According to him, youth and sports have a deep connection that can contribute greatly to national progress.
With that goal in mind, work is continuing in both sectors at the same time.
Several training programmes have already been introduced to expand employment opportunities for young people. These include freelancing, caregiving and mobile servicing.
These initiatives aim to prepare youth for local and international job markets by improving their skills.
Projects are currently running in different regions, including Dhaka, with plans for gradual expansion across the country.
Aminul stressed that field-level administration will play a key role in ensuring these programmes succeed.
He urged Deputy Commissioners and Divisional Commissioners to coordinate closely with the ministry and build direct connections with grassroots youth so young people in remote areas can also benefit.
He expressed hope that stronger coordination would create more jobs and bring visible progress in youth development.
On the sports front, new activities have already started in 64 district stadiums nationwide.
Competitions in eight events are being held, with strong participation from children aged 12 to 14 helping drive the programme forward.
Aminul believes maintaining this momentum could help Bangladesh build a strong sports foundation over the next few years.
Turning to stadium management, he noted that many stadiums were previously used for fairs, which damaged the sporting environment.
To address this, the government has decided stadiums will no longer be used for such events.
An integrated renovation project is also underway to restore stadiums and sports complexes affected by years of poor management.
As part of that plan, facilities including swimming complexes will be modernised.
Ministers and officials have already inspected several playgrounds under Dhaka North and South City Corporations.
Talks are also continuing with stakeholders to ensure playgrounds remain dedicated to sports activities.
