Children want to play, but where are the playgrounds?

A family lives in Shewrapara in the capital. The family has two children—one aged 4 and the other 9. The 9-year-old was asked why so much time is spent on a mobile phone throughout the day. In reply, the child said there was a wish to play. But where is the playground?

The child’s father works at a private organisation. Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, he said there is no open field within several kilometres of where they live. One or two educational institutions have fields, but those remain locked in the afternoons. As a result, even if his child wants to play, there is no opportunity.

Many parents in Dhaka are now suffering from the problem of not having playgrounds. As children do not have opportunities to play, they spend the whole day with mobile phones or tablets.

The issue has recently come into discussion following the findings of a study by the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).

The study found that a large portion of school-going children in Dhaka spend nearly five hours a day on average staring at screens of electronic devices such as mobile phones, televisions, tablets, or computers. As a result, they are sleeping less, gaining weight, and suffering from headaches and eye problems. Their mental health is also being negatively affected.

The research was conducted over two years on 420 children from six schools in Dhaka. The findings were published on 4 May in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Human Factors. On Friday, the findings were published in several media outlets, including Prothom Alo.

Meanwhile, during the first session of the 13th parliament, State Minister for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque announced that sports would be made compulsory in schools from fourth grade in the next academic year. There will also be marks in examinations.

He further said the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is taking this initiative from the next academic year to reduce students’ addiction to ‘devices’ (digital gadgets).

The day after the state minister made this announcement, on the afternoon of 30 March, KM Arifur Rahman, father of second-grade student Abiza Rahman, was spoken to at the gate of Hope International School in Mirpur Section 10.

Although welcoming the initiative, he expressed frustration, saying, “The initiative is excellent. But where will my child play? In the school corridor or on the stairs?”

Near the Hope International School, two more schools were seen operating from the ground floors or garages of residential buildings. These schools also have no playgrounds of their own. Right outside the buildings is the main road, crowded with different kinds of vehicles. This is the same picture for almost all private schools in Dhaka.

According to information from a report published in Prothom Alo in 2023, among the capital’s 342 government primary schools, only 90 have playgrounds. That means 252 schools do not have any.

According to a recent study by the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), a modern city should have at least one playground per half square kilometre. Based on the area of Dhaka’s two city corporations (305.47 square kilometres), at least 610 playgrounds are needed. In reality, there are only 235. That means there are not even half the required number of playgrounds.

The same study says that among the 235 playgrounds, 141 belong to various educational institutions. Besides these, there are 24 colony playgrounds and 12 Eid prayer grounds. Sixteen government playgrounds have been occupied in various ways. Beyond this, there are only 42 playgrounds that everyone can use.

However, the National Education Policy-2010 states that all educational institutions must ensure necessary arrangements for playgrounds, sports, games, and physical exercise to foster students’ physical and mental development.

According to the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK), 41 out of Dhaka’s 129 wards have no playgrounds at all. As a result, nearly 27.82 per cent of Dhaka’s adolescent and youth population are growing up without access to any kind of playground, posing a severe threat to their mental and physical health.

Asked about this, RAJUK Chief Urban Planner Ashraful Islam told Prothom Alo that large and medium housing projects approved in Dhaka during the 1990s did not include playgrounds. At that time, laws and regulations were not as strict. However, some housing projects approved in the last 10 to 15 years have included playgrounds.

Most educational institutions in Dhaka keep their playgrounds locked after school hours. Students of those schools are not allowed to play there, let alone children from outside.

Adarsha High School is near Hope International School in Mirpur. Adarsha High School has a fairly large playground inside. However, after visiting several afternoons, it was found that the school gate remained locked and the field empty.

Acting Headmaster of Adarsha High School, Md Nur-e-Alam, told Prothom Alo that if the field is kept open, many groups come to play and teenagers get into fights. They do not have the capacity to manage these issues. For this reason, the playground remains closed after school.

In November 2024, the “Shaheed Farhan Faiyaz Playground” for physically disabled people was inaugurated inside the parliament premises (on the western side). It was inaugurated by Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the former interim government. However, no one is seen playing there.

A visit to the playground on Friday, a holiday, found the gate locked. A security guard said public entry is prohibited. Anyone wishing to enter must obtain permission from the authorities.

The National Foundation for Development of the Disabled Persons is responsible for overseeing the field. The organisation’s Managing Director, Md Tarikul Alam, told Prothom Alo that instructions have been given to keep the field open at all times. If it is still being kept closed, he will investigate and take action.

Asked how reasonable it is to announce compulsory sports when most educational institutions in the capital do not have playgrounds, State Minister for Sports Aminul Haque told Prothom Alo that the decision had been made through planning, with implementation targeted before the next academic year.

Aminul Haque said a 10-member committee has been formed to identify and implement playgrounds in urban and rural areas across the country. The committee has started working to locate playgrounds and determine how the plan can be implemented. Letters have already been issued stating that schools with playgrounds will not limit access to their own students; other students will also be allowed to play there.

When contacted, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education Director General (additional charge) BM Abdul Hannan told Prothom Alo that letters regarding the matter have begun to be sent to all educational institutions across the country.

Asked what action would be taken against institutions that have their own playgrounds but deny access to others, BM Abdul Hannan said action would be taken according to policy guidelines.

Government housing projects include playgrounds. Children of government employees have access to playing fields. Large private housing projects also have playgrounds. Nowadays, elite buildings or condominiums include play areas. As a result, children from wealthy families get opportunities to play, while children from lower-income and poor families are deprived.

Although land is allocated for playgrounds during approval of private housing project designs, in some cases other structures are built there. In other cases, even where playgrounds exist, various restrictions are imposed.

In this situation, private playgrounds are now being built and rented out. To play in these fields, a fixed amount of money must be paid for a specific period.

Urban planners and parents say that, as a medium-term measure, land should be acquired in areas of Dhaka and other cities where there are no playgrounds. Before that, playgrounds in educational institutions, residential areas, and open spaces owned by government agencies should be opened for children. In some cases, government land is under illegal occupation. Those lands could be recovered and converted into playgrounds. Experts have also suggested turning parts of Dhaka’s parks into playgrounds for children.

Urban planner and Executive Director of Institute for Planning and Development (IPD) Adil Mohammed Khan told Prothom Alo that the government can arrange playgrounds if it wants to. The question is whether it wants to.

“Tk 300 billion was spent on the metro rail. Will spending a similar amount to acquire land and demolish buildings for playgrounds in Dhaka become a government priority?” he asked.

He added that playgrounds in areas such as Dhanmondi have been allocated to clubs, preventing children from ordinary families from playing there. Those allocations should be cancelled.

An entire generation is suffering due to the shortage of playgrounds, and this issue needs to become a government priority, Adil Mohammed Khan added.