Lakshmipur: A 'Green Coast 2017' program was held on October 8 at Falkon High School in Kamalnagar Upazila of Lakshmipur, East Coast District, with a call for green protection from coastal students.
The program included essay writing, letter writing, drawing and news writing competitions. Prizes were officially distributed among the winners of the competition. In addition, a discussion session titled 'Come at the call of green, build a green coast' was held and tree saplings were planted. In the program, a group of students from the school presented a data-based report based on environmental observation. A special issue of the wall magazine 'Belabhumi' was published in the school.
One of the goals of this program is to increase environmental awareness among coastal students, develop creative talent, and improve life skills including access to information through writing practice. This unique environmental awareness program is now in its third year. The program is organized by the coastal creative organization 'Upkool Bangladesh' under the patronage of First Security Islami Bank.
The discussion meeting was chaired by Zayed Hossain Farooqui, principal of Hazirhat Hamidia Fazil Degree Madrasa. The meeting was chaired by Md. Abu Zaker, headmaster of Venue School.
Special guests were Altaf Hossain, former president of the Upazila Secondary Teachers' Association, Mansurul Alam, manager of Islami Bank Hazirhat branch, AKM Iqbal Hossain, former general secretary of the Upazila Secondary Teachers' Association, Shakhawat Hossain, headmaster of Hazirhat Millat Academy, and Kawsar Hossain, former general secretary of Laxmipur Press Club.
At the discussion meeting, the speakers told the students that to become enlightened people, it is not enough to just memorize the text books and do well in exams. To develop life skills, one must gain knowledge about the world around them. One must come forward to protect the environment. One must have an idea about natural disasters on the coast. Only a combination of good results and general knowledge can make people like people. You have to become good people and light the lamp like a lamp, so that many more people can be enlightened by your light.
The program's local coordinator and president of Kamalnagar Press Club, Sajjadur Rahman, and Laxmipur Government College student and journalist Junaid Al Habib spoke at the opening session. Rafiqul Islam Montu, the central coordinator of the Green Coast 2017 program and director of the organizing organization, Coast Bangladesh, spoke about the background of the program and the overall condition of the coast. The program was inaugurated and presented by Md. Parvez Hossain, a 10th grader from the organizing school, and Samia Nazneen Preeti, an 8th grader.
At the beginning of the program, Md. Miraj Hossain, a 10th grade student of Falcon High School, delivered a speech on behalf of the students, and Nusrat Zebin Jessia, a 10th grade student of Toaha Smriti Girls High School, presented a report on the data of the erosion in the Ludhua area on behalf of the environmental monitoring team.
The chief guest presented prizes to the winners of various creative competitions at the event. The program began with a colorful procession in the morning.
The program will be co-organized by the coastal school students' organization Alokjatra Dal, with DotSilicon as the IT partner, and ATN Bangla and Dainik Samakal as the media partners.
The tenth program of Green Coast 2017 was held at Falcon High School. This time, the program will be organized at 20 locations in 19 upazilas of 14 districts of the coast. About 70,000 students from 100 schools will participate in the program. In three years, 170,000 students from 256 schools of the coast will come under the Green Coast program. School students have received the message of environmental awareness, which is useful in their daily lives.
This time, programs are being held in Munshiganj, Gabura, Shanagarh, Satkhira, Paikgachha, Khulna, Sadar and Sharankhola, Bagerhat, Mathbaria, Pirojpur, Kathalia, Jhalakathi, Taltoli, Barguna, Kuakata and Charmontaj, Patuakhali, Charfason and Tajumuddin, Bhola, Haimchar, Chandpur, Kamalnagar, Lakshmipur, Subarnachar and Hatia, Noakhali, Sonagazi, Feni, Sandwip, Chittagong, and Teknaf and Maheshkhali, Cox's Bazar.
The Green Coast program has been ongoing since 2015. In 2015, about 20,000 students from 40 schools in 13 upazilas of 10 districts joined this program. The following year, in 2016, about 80,000 students from 116 schools in 25 upazilas of 14 districts were brought under this program. If this program is implemented, 170,000 students from 256 schools in the coast will come under the Green Coast program in three years.
English 
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