Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organised a consultation meeting with representatives from the country's leading music institutions on Thursday, December 11 to discuss annual incentives for music schools and academies, as well as plans for a national-level competition.
The meeting, held at 2 pm in the Conference Room of the National Theatre Hall, was organised by the Music, Dance and Recitation Department and Production Department of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, following directives from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Mohammad Zakir Hossain, Secretary of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, attended as chief guest, while Mehjabeen Rahman, Director of the Music, Dance & Recitation Department, chaired the session. Daniel Afzalur Rahman, Director of the Production Department, and Shaheen Dill-Riaz, Director of the Training Department, also addressed the gathering.
The consultation brought together distinguished representatives from government, private, and other music institutions across Dhaka and divisional levels. Notable attendees included Luva Nahid Choudhury, Executive Director of Bengal Foundation; Asit Kumar Dey of Udayan Chhayanaut's Classical Music Department; Nadia Soma Samad, Principal of Government Music College; Dr Priyanka Gope, Head of Dhaka University's Music Department; and Khondokar Khairuzzaman Kaiyum, Principal of Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts (BAFA).
Participants discussed creating state patronage to accelerate music education across the country, emphasising the need to expand music practice, promotion, and training from urban centers to grassroots levels.
Key topics included developing guidelines for providing annual incentives to music schools across all districts based on specific categories, and organising a national-level competition among music schools and academies, with the winning institution receiving the "Prime Minister's Award."
All attendees expressed their support for implementing these two initiatives through transparent processes and policy frameworks that would include institutions at the grassroots level and further energise music education activities. Participants were requested to submit their opinions in writing.
