Lack of ample number of playgrounds and open spaces at primary and secondary educational institutions has left schoolchildren in Sylhet city without any sports facility hindering their mental and physical growth.
‘The private-run primary and secondary level schools and madrasas established in the recent years in the city do not have a tiny space for the students even to play indoor games,’ a private-owned English medium teacher Sujat Ali alleged.
Once Sylhet city area had many open spaces and fields for children, but the spaces began to shrink with the onslaught of unplanned urbanisation.
Many of the playgrounds have disappeared once and for all as nobody bothers a little to think about the children.
‘My three school-going children spend a long time watching television as there is no playground or open space near my house.
I know it is not good for them but what can I do? Where will they go to play?’ lamented businessman Selim Ahmed of Bandarbazar area in the city.
Expressing grave concern, many Sylhet residents opined that the city will no longer be livable in near future if open spaces are not preserved.
Zia Khaled, a primary school teacher, said new buildings on the open spaces of most of the government primary schools were constructed in order to accommodate the increased number of students.
President of Sylhet Chambar of Commerce said, ‘Only classroom-based education is not enough to infuse moral values and patriotism among the children.
A congenial atmosphere, enriched with sufficient sports and cultural facilities, is essential for the proper development of the students,’ she added.
Besides, unplanned urbanisation, coupled with the ongoing trend of considering education as a business commodity, have resulted in the scarcity of sport facilities on the campuses, he alleged. District Primary Education Officer of Sylhet, Md. Jahangir Alam acknowledged the crisis of playground in the city schools.
He said that they have been encouraging the authorities concerned for years to build multi-storied buildings instead of one storied buildings, so that at least a reasonable space remains open for sports in the school compounds.
Chairperson of Nagorik Forum, Sylhet Faruk Mahmud Chowdhury said, ‘Unplanned construction of numerous dwelling houses and commercial structures across the city, have gobbled up the open spaces while the authorities seem to be indifferent to the necessity of children’s play and recreation. Even 10 years back, kids of the city had enough space to play. But now they have only rooftops and roads to play.’
Despite the number of existing playgrounds in the city being too short, most of the free lands and spaces area gradually going under illegal occupation of the grabbers which is a big threat for the children of Sylhet city in the nearest future.
Chief Executive Officer of Sylhet City Corporation Anamul Habib said ‘Having more fields and playgrounds for recreation of the children in the city is an urgent need.
But the city corporation doesn’t have sufficient number of playgrounds; nor does it have any plan to create any playgrounds but we have to consider the matter seriously.’
Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, ‘For the sake of sound health of the children, there is no alternative to playgrounds. The government must make it mandatory to preserve playgrounds for the kids in the residential areas and free the existing ones from the clutches of land grabbers’.’
