Children in Dhaka – and in fact in almost all cities in the country – are in such a state that is similar to the state of a caged bird. Growing up within the four-walled concrete infrastructure, they do not find an open environment to have their physic develop stout and psyche broadened. Even in their learning institutions, or schools, they are completely deprived of the charms childhood usually offers to children. In this congested Dhaka, a capital city but hardly reflecting that, very few schools have a playground, for these schools are usually set up, keeping commercial purpose in mind, within the floors of a building that lacks open space in front of it. Subconsciously, or maybe deliberately, we are building up a feeble and weak generation in this way to lead the future Bangladesh.
Alongside education, the need for sports requiring physical involvement is beyond questions. But unfortunately, our schools in the capital have moved far away from that very idea or reality. Commercialisation of education, or indeed everything, has become so widespread and set its root so deep in our mindset that we are hardly bothered about the law according to which a school cannot be established on land below 33 decimals. A playground for children remains out of the question when a school is easily built up even in a residential house. What a pity!
Most of the schools and their classrooms, especially in Dhaka, seem to be a detention centre, and the children who come here to study appear as the incarcerated convicts. In the locality where their families reside, there also lacks an open space to allow these children to get together with other children living in the same locality. Even though some localities have one, there exists either an unhygienic environment, an unrestricted movement of drug addicts to threaten its security or an unhindered encroachment by the land grabbers. In this way, children are being robbed of their childhood slowly but surely. Being restricted within the urban flats, these children are getting addicted to the sky culture which has exposed them to develop an aggressive and narrow mentality. A lack of physical exercise, say sports, is causing rising obesity in urban children. Health experts observe that rural children, compared to the urban ones, are physically and psychologically stronger due chiefly to their exposure to open space, adequate light, fresh air and healthy eating. Urban children are truly unconscious about how and when their childhood is passing away. Shouldn’t we, still then, be concerned about the physical and mental growth of our children? Shouldn’t we let them grow up playing, singing and dancing? Let’s work hand in hand to build them a world free from all limits.
