Season 15 of the popular children’s television show, Sisimpur, is about to hit television screens beginning the first week of February as Halum, Tuktuki, Ikri and Shiku return with fun new stories and a new friend, Julia. The new season, supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and produced by Sesame Workshop Bangladesh, will support children in developing their literacy and numeracy skills, as well as focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, their emotional well-being, and self-care skills. The new season will also feature special episodes with sign language, said a press release issued on Monday. In this new season, Halum, Ikri, Shiku and Tuktuki return to share new stories and are joined by a new friend named Julia, a four-year-old Muppet who has autism. The introduction of Julia is a special addition to this new season for building autism awareness in Bangladesh and reminding us that all children are amazing. New episodes of season 15 will premiere on Duronto Television from February 3, 2023. The slogan for the season is “Fifteen comes on rhythm, together let’s proceed on.” There will be edutainment stories and content focusing on foundational literacy, numeracy, the importance of nutritious food, problem-solving, gender equity, autism, and other key topics. The new season will feature some fantastic new animated content on mathematics, science, and healthy habits. Additionally, there will be live-action film segments featuring children and their caregivers, as well as segments with Ikri for learning the alphabet, and segments with Tuktuki for learning numbers. Season fifteen of Sisimpur features narrative formats like “Shikhu’s World of Science” and “Ikri’s Playtime.” Since, an overarching theme of this new season is ensuring access and participation for all children, families will see characters from a range of backgrounds and ethnicities, as well as children with different abilities, plus several episodes will feature sign language. It will be amazing to see a new character named Julia join the Sisimpur friends of Halum, Ikri, Shiku, and Tuktuki. Season 15 of Sisimpur was officially launched on Monday by the chief guest, Director General of the Directorate of Primary Education Mr. Shah Rezwan Hayat and the guest of honor, USAID Mission Director Ms. Kathryn Davis Stevens. The event was held at Bangladesh Film Archive’s Auditorium located at Agargaon where Director-Training of the Directorate of Primary Education Dr. Uttam Kumar Das, Member-Primary of the National Curriculum and Text Board (NCTB) Prof. Dr. AKM Reazul Hassan and Chief Operating Officer of Shuchona Foundation Dr. Saqui Khandoker attended as special guests. Read more: Making the virtual world a safer place for kids! Director of Bangladesh Television Mr. Jagadis Esh, Executive Director of Maasranga Television Mr. Ajoy Kumar Kundu, Co-Chairman of Asiatic Ms. Sara Zaker and Chief of Party of this project Mohammad Shah Alam were also present at the event. Familiar friends from Sisimpur Bahadur, Ikri, Shiku, Tuktuki, Halum, and their new friend Julia brought joy and fun to the day. Made possible through the generous support of the American people through USAID, the Early Childhood Development Mass Media Activity, Sisimpur, has been helping children across Bangladesh grow smarter, stronger, and kinder since 2005. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is providing support in the airing of Sisimpur, and the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education provides support for implementing its school-based programs.