Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday called upon school children to grow up with confidence and help build a stronger and more widely recognized Bangladesh, saying they will become the country's future ambassadors on the global stage.
"There is nothing to fear. You must grow up as confident children and confident human beings," he said while addressing thousands of children at the final match and prize-giving ceremony of the Primary School Gold Cup Football Tournament at the Army Stadium.
The prime minister encouraged the students to pursue sports, education, culture and innovation side by side.
He said Bangladesh must emerge as a strong and respected nation on the global stage and that the responsibility of achieving this goal will largely rest on today's children and young generation.
"We have to build Bangladesh as a strong country and make it famous across the world. Who will do it? You will do it, because this is your future and this is your Bangladesh," Tarique Rahman said. Urging children to remain active in sports, he said they should never stop playing. "You must continue to play. Tomorrow afternoon you should be out on the fields again. Play football, go swimming – whatever sport you enjoy, take part in it," he said.
The prime minister also assured support for children interested in cultural and creative activities.
"Those who want to sing, play music, paint pictures or take part in Quran recitation competitions – we will create opportunities for everyone," he said.
At the same time, Tarique Rahman stressed the importance of developing expertise and innovation skills from an early age.
Recalling his childhood, he said he used to spend hours building things with Meccano construction sets.
"You all have great ideas in your minds. You must learn to create and innovate," the prime minister said.
He informed the children that an innovation-focused program will be held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in the coming days and encouraged them to participate in it. "You have to be involved in innovation as well.”
Tarique Rahman said sporting talent alone will not be enough for the future generation.
"My young friends, it is not enough just to play sports. Many of you can play, study and also possess other talents. Some can sing, write poetry or recite the Quran beautifully…I want you to excel in everything – sports, education and culture. If you can become skilled in all areas, we will be able to build a beautiful and strong Bangladesh," he said.
The prime minister reminded the students that one day they will be responsible for leading the country.
"A few years from now, you will grow up. We are getting older. It is you who will have to run Bangladesh in the future," he said, asking the children whether they believe they could do it.
Many students raised their hands in response, prompting Tarique Rahman to applaud their confidence.
Turning to sports, he said Bangladesh should aspire to produce athletes capable of competing with the world's best.
"Today, when people watch the World Cup, they see stars like Ronaldo, Messi and Mbappe. We must produce players like them from among you," the prime minister said.
He said the government has already taken steps to improve Bangladesh's performance in international sporting events, including the Olympics.
Tarique Rahman reiterated his government's commitment to expanding sports facilities and creating more playgrounds across the country.
"We had promised (before the election) that if given the opportunity to govern, we would arrange more sporting activities for children and ensure they have green fields where they can play. We have already started that work, but there is still a long way to go," he said.
The Prime Minister noted that Bangladesh has earned international recognition through cricket and expressed hope that other sports will also contribute to enhancing the country's image abroad.
"Today the world knows Bangladesh because of cricket. In the future, people will know Bangladesh through football, swimming, hockey, tennis and many other sports…You will introduce Bangladesh to the world. You will become ambassadors of Bangladesh across the globe,” he said.
Earlier, the Prime Minister watched the final match from the stand to encourage the young footballers.
The final, held at the Bangladesh Army Stadium, saw Jorgacha United Government Primary School of Santhia, Pabna defeat Achargao Government Primary School of Nandail, Mymensingh by 4-2 goals to win the championship.
After the match, Tarique Rahman personally handed over trophies to the champion and runners-up teams.
The tournament began on April 6 and involved more than 2.2 lakh boys and girls from 65,342 government primary schools across the country. The participants progressed through village, union, upazila, district and divisional rounds before reaching the national final in Dhaka.
The prime minister also announced plans to expand the competition to the secondary school level this year and introduce a "Prime Minister Cup" tournament from the next year.
"My plan is not limited to primary schools. We will launch similar competitions at the secondary level this year and introduce the Prime Minister Cup from the next year," he said.
Stating that more than 123,000 matches had been played at the primary school level over the past one and a half months, Tarique Rahman suggested that organizers contact Guinness World Records to explore the possibility of securing international recognition for the event.
Several ministers, state ministers, advisers, lawmakers, sports officials and senior government officials were present at the program.