Dhaka, Oct 31,(V7N) – State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj, MP, said Saturday that an initiative is being taken to introduce curriculum-based learning toys, or educational toys, for primary-level students alongside conventional textbooks.
The initiative aims to give students the chance to learn joyfully through play in the classroom and to nurture children's creativity and innovative thinking, he said.
The state minister made the remarks while addressing the cultural and prize distribution ceremony of "Medha O Srijan Utsab-2026" as the chief guest at Mirpur Girls Ideal Laboratory Institute in the capital, according to a ministry press release.
"The government is working to create an environment where students can study while playing in the classroom," he said. He added there are plans to keep space suitable for play in classrooms and to provide various educational toys aligned with the curriculum, just like textbooks. Through these toys, he continued, teachers will be able to teach students in an easier and more enjoyable way.
The state minister said alongside increasing opportunities for play, considering students' age and class, initiatives are being taken to create scope for participation in various sports activities, including football, cricket, martial arts and badminton. At the same time, students will be encouraged to take part in songs, poetry, drama and other cultural activities, he said.
Emphasising the need to increase students' interest in mathematics and science, the state minister said events such as mathematics olympiads, quiz competitions and science olympiads for students will be expanded further. There are also plans to hold various competitions based on robotics, programming and artificial intelligence (AI) in the future, he said. "Through these initiatives, opportunities will be created for developing students' scientific mindset, technological skills and innovative capacity," he added.
Addressing the students, he said, "The future Bangladesh will be built by your hands. We are working so that you have the capacity to build the Bangladesh of your dreams and aspirations. Congratulations to those who won today's competition. And those who could not win, do not be disappointed, prepare with more focus. Many opportunities are waiting for you ahead."
At the event, the state minister handed over prizes to the students who won in various competitions. Teachers, students and people concerned from different educational institutions of Mirpur and Pallabi thanas were present at the programme, with the head teacher of Mirpur Girls Ideal Laboratory Institute in the chair.
In another special workshop of the "Governance Solutions Competition", organised with the participation of students of the Dhaka-13 parliamentary constituency, Bobby Hajjaj said the government will extend cooperation to identify local-level problems and find practical and sustainable solutions to them through students' innovative thinking and creative proposals.
He said opportunities must be created to involve students in state policymaking as well, alongside solving local problems by making use of their talent and new ideas. "It is not enough for students to talk only about big problems. They must identify problems for which they themselves can propose practical and effective solutions," the state minister said.
He said the scale of the problem, who is being affected and how deep its impact is must be presented with data and evidence. Field-level surveys, interviews with concerned people, news reports and information from reliable research can be used for this purpose, he added. If necessary, various artificial intelligence tools can also be used as aids, he said.
Emphasising the feasibility of proposed solutions, the state minister said a good solution should not merely look attractive on paper, but it must also be considered whether it can be implemented in reality. He said it must be clearly stated which authorities' permission and cooperation are needed to implement the solution, who will be involved with it, and what kind of manpower, funds and other resources will be required. He said practicality, effectiveness and long-term impact will get special importance in students' proposals.
The state minister said a detailed written report will first be collected within a fixed time from the 124 teams taking part in the competition. A seven-member panel of judges will evaluate the reports. The five best teams selected from there will get the opportunity to make a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation before a national-level audience and guests. Based on the final presentation, the champion, first runner-up and second runner-up teams will be selected, he said.
"I want the talent and creativity of the students of Dhaka-13 to be used properly. We want to show the whole country that if our students' thinking and innovative power can be properly utilised, the change of the country can begin at their hands," Bobby Hajjaj said.
Judges of the competition, members of the organising team, teachers of various educational institutions and participating students were present at the workshop.
