Betar debate competition to expand regionally nationwide: Yasser
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yasser Khan Choudhury today said initiatives will be taken to organise the Bangladesh Betar debate competition at the regional level in different districts across the country in the future.
“Debates help students develop their knowledge, reasoning, information analysis and presentation skills. However, importance must be given to ensuring that debates do not become arguments merely for the sake of arguing. The information presented in debates must be accurate, reliable and knowledge-based,” he said.
The state minister said this while addressing the ceremony of the ‘Betar Debate Competition-2026’ organised by Bangladesh Betar in the capital.
Yasser said students have to study various subjects and acquire knowledge to participate in debate competitions. Today’s students will lead in various professions, including engineering, medicine and journalism, in the future. Therefore, they must actively participate in co-curricular activities alongside their studies, he added.
He said securing good results alone is not enough in the present world; students need to be involved in various co-curricular activities, including sports, debates and cultural activities. “Such activities will reflect a student’s personality, leadership qualities and creativity in their future professional life,” he added.
Yasser said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has placed special emphasis on sports. As part of this, initiatives have been taken to construct one playground in every union and one mini stadium in every upazila of the country. These activities have already been implemented in many upazilas in the first phase. Mini stadiums will be constructed in every upazila across the country in the second and third phases, he added.
He said the government has taken various initiatives to nurture the talents of students across the country. Under the direction of the Prime Minister, initiatives have been taken to organise nationwide quiz competitions at the primary, secondary, higher secondary, college and university levels, as well as beyond these levels. There are also plans to broadcast these competitions on Bangladesh Television, he said.
The state minister said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Education are jointly working to further expand the initiative. Such programmes will enrich students’ talent and knowledge-building and enable them to play an important role for the country.
The state minister congratulated St Joseph School, the champion, and Shamsul Haque Khan School, the runners-up, in the ‘Betar Debate Competition-2026’. He also congratulated the other participating students, teachers and guardians.
He said the courage and confidence with which the students participated in the debate competition at such a young age deserve appreciation.
Moderator of the final debate and Additional Secretary of the ministry Md Shah Alam addressed the programme with Director General of Bangladesh Betar A S M Zahid in the chair.
Earlier, trophies, certificates and crests were distributed among the champion and runners-up teams.
