Children must be made environment-conscious from an early age: Dr Shahadat in Chattogram
Chattogram City Corporation Administrator Dr Shahadat Hossain has stressed raising children to be environment-conscious, ethical and humane, alongside developing scientific thinking, creativity and innovation in them.
He made the remarks on Thursday (November 12) as chief guest at a science fair held on the auditorium premises of Doha International School.
A city can be made beautiful and sustainable only if its citizens first develop love and a sense of duty toward it, he said. Chattogram belongs not to any single representative or administrator but to everyone, and only when people think of it as their own can it be built into a clean, green, safe and livable city, he added.
The event was chaired by Hasan Mahmud, founder chairman of Doha International School and Junior School. Professor Mohammad Shamsul Alam and Dr Yasir Arafat attended as special guests, alongside Mohammad Abdul Kader, teachers, students and guardians of the school.
Dr Shahadat Hossain said building a sustainable city for the next generation is the responsibility of the present one, and Chattogram must be turned into a clean, green, healthy and safe city. Waterlogging and the dengue problem are directly linked to citizens' lack of awareness, he noted.
Indiscriminate dumping of plastic, polythene, plastic bottles, green coconut shells and other waste blocks drains and causes waterlogging, he said. Rainwater collects in the discarded waste and creates breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, one of the main causes of dengue spread.
Waste from homes and streets eventually reaches canals through drains and from there flows into the Karnaphuli River, he said, so protecting the Karnaphuli begins with awareness in waste management. Everyone must also work together to stop hill cutting, prevent environmental pollution and face the adverse effects of climate change, he added.
On footpath encroachment, the administrator said footpaths are for pedestrians to walk unhindered, not for business. Even after mobile court eviction drives by the city corporation, footpaths are often reoccupied; a permanent solution is not possible through administrative drives alone, and citizens must also be vocal and responsible and build social resistance against wrongdoing. An initiative has been taken to restore order by fixing a schedule for hawkers in the New Market area, he said.
On protecting students' mental health, he said every educational institution should consider keeping a psychologist at least on a weekly basis. Many talented students cannot fully develop their potential because of mental pressure and personal problems, and a psychologist can identify the causes in their behaviour, attention and mental state and give necessary advice, he said.
Praising the organisation of Science Fair-2026, he said science practice and innovative activities enrich students' thinking and give them the courage to try new things. Today's children will lead the Bangladesh and Chattogram of tomorrow, so teachers, guardians and everyone in society must jointly take responsibility for raising them as scientifically minded, environment-conscious, ethical and humane citizens, he said.
