One of the most alarming issues in today's concrete urban landscape is the gradual disappearance of children's natural childhood.
According to a front-page report published in yesterday's The Daily Ittefaq, more than 15,000 primary and secondary schools across Bangladesh, including those in the capital city of Dhaka, do not have playgrounds.
More than half of the private universities in Dhaka and 72 percent of English-medium schools also deprive their students of this basic right. This disheartening reality has pushed the physical and mental development of our future generations into a serious crisis.
A playground is not merely an open space covered with dust; rather, it is one of the most important foundations for the balanced physical and mental development of children. Islam also places great emphasis on physical fitness and recreation.
In this regard, a hadith states that a strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than a weak believer. Indeed, one of the best ways to keep the body active and healthy is through sports and physical play.
The philosopher John Locke therefore said, "A sound mind in a sound body." And for a healthy body, children need fresh air and playgrounds. The renowned philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in his book Emile, strongly advocated for children to grow up freely in a natural environment and to learn through play.
Due to the lack of playgrounds, children today are increasingly confined indoors and becoming addicted to digital devices. This problem is particularly severe among students in urban areas.
According to a study by ICDDR,B, schoolchildren in Dhaka spend an average of nearly five hours a day looking at mobile phone or computer screens. As a result, they are getting less sleep, gaining excess weight, and developing various mental health problems.
It is worth mentioning that the National Education Policy 2010 made playgrounds mandatory for educational institutions. The Ministry of Education has also issued directives in this regard.
Nevertheless, most private educational institutions have been established on a commercial basis in very small spaces, garages, or residential buildings. Moreover, even in schools that do have playgrounds, the fields are often locked in the afternoon, preventing their proper use, which is unfortunate.
Many playgrounds, such as the Lalmatia New Colony Playground near Asad Gate in Dhaka, have also been illegally occupied or converted into marketplaces and garbage dumps. According to data from the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD), although the two city corporations of Dhaka require at least 610 playgrounds, there are only 235 in reality.
The question now is: how can this crisis be addressed? We believe that no educational institution should be allowed to operate without a playground. This requirement must be strictly enforced. In addition, several other measures are necessary.
First, government policies should not remain confined to paper; legal action must be taken against educational institutions that lack playgrounds. Approval for new schools or universities should be granted only after ensuring the existence of a playground of the prescribed size.
Second, playgrounds and parks that have been illegally occupied should be immediately reclaimed from political and commercial influence and restored as child-friendly recreational spaces.
Third, schools that keep their playgrounds locked should be instructed to open them to neighborhood children after school hours. A specific policy may be introduced to ensure this.
Finally, we should remember the timeless advice of Imam Al-Ghazali (RA): "After studying, a child should be allowed to play so that fatigue may be removed. If children are prevented from playing, their intellect becomes stagnant." Therefore, if we truly wish to give our children a healthy and prosperous future, restoring their right to playgrounds has become an urgent necessity of our time.
