The youth and sports ministry on Sunday launched a nationwide programme to train young people in martial arts and self-defence under a government initiative amid criticism.
The first phase of the Tk 28-crore programme titled ‘Basic Self-Defense Training for Youths’ on karate, judo, taekwondo and firearms began at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishthan campus in Savar with 50 female participants.
Youth and sports adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain inaugurated the programme as the chief guest at the opening ceremony.
BKSP has so far received 8,776 applications, including 8,106 males and 670 females, since the beginning of the online process on October 17, officials said.
Politicians and security experts have already expressed serious concerns over the interim government’s initiative to train youths in a bid to strengthen ‘national defence’ without any policy or a political consensus on such a crucial issue.
Addressing the launching ceremony, adviser Asif Mahmud said that the initiative reflected the interim government’s commitment to empowering the youths through training for both physical and mental health.
‘Through this training, young people will not only learn to defend themselves but also gain confidence, resilience and self-reliance,’ he said.
He added that Bangladesh’s youth have always risen to the nation’s call during times of crisis, even sacrificing their lives when necessary.
‘If our patriotic young people are properly trained, they will be able to play a vital role in any future crisis or security challenge the nation may face,’ the adviser said.
BKSP director general brigadier general Md Munirul Islam and youth and sports secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam, among others, also spoke.
Approved earlier this year, the project aims to train 8,250 young men and 600 young women in its initial phase by 2028, and will receive instructions in the four disciplines—karate, judo, taekwondo and basic firearms—at seven training centres across the country.
According to the BKSP admission notice, the 15-day residential training will be conducted in 114 batches at BKSP centres in Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar, Chattogram, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet, and Dinajpur.
Eligible candidates must be Bangladeshi citizens aged between 18 and 35, physically and mentally fit, and have passed at least the Secondary School Certificate examination.
The participants will receive free accommodation, meals, a tracksuit, T-shirts, and shoes during the course.
Upon successful completion, they will be awarded a certificate and a daily allowance of Tk 300, amounting to Tk 4,200 for the entire training period, according to the notice.
Many have criticised the self-defence-related residential training for youths aged between 18 and 35 ahead of the upcoming national election, expected to be held in February next year, saying that this might have an ‘ill motive’ as the selection process of the trainees was not transparent.
The security experts and politicians have also pointed out that it was not in the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Youth and Sports to deal with the national defence issues and even the initiative did not match the character of the interim government, formed days after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League regime amid a student-led mass uprising in August, 2024 for a democratic transition.
