Zubaida urges children to become architects of Bangladesh's future

Dr Zubaida Rahman, vice-president of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation and eminent physician, on Monday urged children to prepare themselves as the builders of tomorrow's Bangladesh, saying they will play the leading role in shaping the nation's future.

She made the remarks while visiting child care and rehabilitation facilities run by the Department of Social Services in Tejgaon, Dhaka, and interacting with children.

Children from the government-run home welcomed her with dance, songs and cultural performances. Zubaida Rahman watched the performances with keen interest and praised their talents.

Expressing optimism about their future, she said proper education and moral values would enable children to excel in their respective fields and showcase Bangladesh's potential on the global stage.

She stressed the importance of honesty and discipline from an early age, saying a strong moral foundation would help children grow into responsible and ideal citizens.

Calls for greater investment in childcare, early education

Highlighting the importance of early childhood care, Zubaida Rahman said women make up around 50.58 percent of Bangladesh's population, or approximately 90.42 million people, while children aged up to 14 account for 28.36 percent.

Recalling a personal memory from her school days, she spoke of a teacher who had to leave her young daughter alone at home after school while working as a private tutor to support the family.

She said she still remembered seeing the child looking through a window grille, anxiously waiting for her mother to return. Although the girl later recovered from psychological distress and became well educated and professionally successful, Zubaida Rahman said such childhood experiences often leave lasting emotional scars.

She noted that many working mothers across the country continue to face similar challenges because of the shortage of daycare facilities, forcing them to leave their children unattended while earning a living.

Citing government statistics, she said the country's 123 Child Development Centres currently provide daycare services to only 7,360 children – just 0.034 percent of Bangladesh's child population.

She said mothers cannot fully concentrate on their work while worrying about their children's safety, while children deprived of quality early childhood care miss valuable opportunities for learning, social interaction and healthy development.

Zubaida Rahman emphasised that universal access to quality pre-primary education and early childhood development programmes would help build strong cognitive and social foundations for children.

She also 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 shape the country's future.

Addressing caregivers, she said they were carrying out two important national responsibilities simultaneously: nurturing children's education, culture, humanity, tolerance, discipline, curiosity, perseverance, mutual respect and patriotism, while enabling more women to remain economically active by providing safe childcare.

As part of her visit, Zubaida Rahman first inspected the Government Children's Home (Girls) in Tejgaon before visiting childcare centres at the Land Bhaban and Water Bhaban.

She later attended a workshop on "Early Childhood Care and Development", organised under the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs' daycare centre programme at the Water Bhaban Multipurpose Hall.

Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anne, State Minister Farhad Hossain Azad and State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin attended the event as special guests, while Minister for Women and Children's Affairs and Social Welfare AZM Zahid Hossain chaired the workshop.