Vice President of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and eminent physician Dr Zubaida Rahman on Monday urged children to prepare themselves as the builders of tomorrow's Bangladesh, saying they are the future of the nation and will play the leading role in shaping the country's future.
She made the remarks while visiting child care and rehabilitation facilities run by the Department of Social Services in Tejgaon, Dhaka, and speaking at an interaction programme with children.
Members of the government children's home welcomed her with dance, songs and cultural performances. Zubaida Rahman watched the performances with keen interest and praised the children's talents.
Expressing optimism about their future, she said proper education and moral upbringing would enable the children to succeed in their respective fields and showcase Bangladesh's talent on the global stage.
She stressed the importance of honesty and discipline from early childhood, saying a strong moral foundation would help children grow into responsible and ideal citizens.
Highlighting the importance of early childhood care, Zubaida Rahman said women constitute about 50.58 percent of Bangladesh's population, or around 90.42 million people, while children aged between 0 and 14 account for 28.36 percent of the total population.
Recalling a personal memory from her school days, she said one of her teachers had to leave her young daughter alone at home after school hours while working as a private tutor to support the family.
She said she still remembers seeing the child peering through a window grille, anxiously waiting for her mother to return home. Although the girl later received advanced treatment after suffering mental distress and eventually became well-educated and professionally established, Zubaida Rahman said such childhood experiences leave lasting emotional scars.
She noted that in many places without daycare centres, working mothers still face similar challenges. Even if the situation has improved somewhat, many women remain compelled to leave their children unattended while earning a livelihood.
Referring to government statistics, she said 123 Child Development Centres currently provide daycare services to only 7,360 children, representing just 0.034 percent of the country's child population.
She said mothers cannot fully concentrate on their work while worrying about their children's safety, and children deprived of quality early childhood care miss opportunities for social interaction, play, learning and healthy development.
Zubaida Rahman said universal access to quality pre-primary education and early childhood development programmes would help build strong cognitive and social foundations for children.
She thanked caregivers working at daycare centres for their dedication and humanitarian service.
"They are not only caring for children with affection but are also helping mothers participate in the workforce with peace of mind while ensuring children grow up in a safe environment," she said.
Describing early childhood as the most critical stage of human development, she said daycare centres are far more than safe places for children, they are institutions that help build the country's future.
Addressing caregivers, she said they are simultaneously performing two important national responsibilities: laying the foundation of Bangladesh's future by nurturing children's education, culture, humanity, tolerance, discipline, curiosity, perseverance, mutual respect and patriotism, while also helping reduce unemployment among women by enabling them to remain economically active.
As part of her visit, Zubaida Rahman first inspected the Government Children's Home (Girls) in Tejgaon at around 10:30 am.
She later visited the Child Daycare Centre at the Land Bhaban at around 11:00 am and the Child Daycare Centre at the Water Bhaban on Green Road at 11:30 am.
At 11:45 am, she attended a workshop titled "Early Childhood Care and Development" under the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs' daycare centre programme as the chief guest at the Multipurpose Hall of the Water Bhaban.
Among those present as special guests were Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anne, State Minister Farhad Hossain Azad and State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin.
The workshop was chaired by Minister for Women and Children's Affairs and Social Welfare A Z M Zahid Hossain.