The government has a plan to develop playgrounds wherever open spaces are available as part of its move to establish careers in sports as a profession field for the country's citizens, according to State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque.

“The government has started working to establish sports as a profession. There is a plan to build playgrounds wherever open spaces are available. Sports will be made compulsory from the grade-IV in the next academic year,” he said, while attending a "Shadow Parliament" debate programme in the capital on Friday. 

The state minister addressed the programme marking International Youth Day 2026 as the chief guest.

In collaboration with CARE Bangladesh and SOS Children’s Villages Bangladesh, Debate for Democracy organised the debate on ‘Private sector engagement is more important than the government in Building Skilled Manpower’ at the FDC.

The event was presided over by ‘Debate for Democracy’ Chairman Hassan Ahamed Chowdhury Kiron.

The state minister said measures are being taken to ensure young people do not remain unemployed after obtaining their degrees. They could acquire skills through various forms of technical education and become self-reliant, he added.

Focusing on sports, Aminul Haque said there is no alternative to sports for keeping the youth away from drug addiction.

Hassan Ahamed said the current government is prioritizing job-oriented education and taking initiatives to develop a skilled workforce in line with local and overseas demands.

In the shadow parliament debate, debaters from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University won, defeating Eastern University.