Bangla speech contest by foreign nationals

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh, Matsushiro Horiguchi attended the programme as chief guest while Director General of Bangla Academy Professor Monsur Musa was the special guest. It was presided over by JUAAB President Professor M Mozammel Hoq.

A total of 10 foreign nationals including Japanese, Jordanian, Korean, Nepalese and Iranian, participated in the Bangla speech contest. The participants beautifully described their experiences of daily life, their impressions and thoughts in Bangla. The participants were awarded with JUAAB crest and certificates for their excellent speeches.

The speech contest was held in two separate categories. In one category, only the Japanese nationals took part in the contest. Among them, first, second and third prizes were given to -- Hiroki Watanabe, Hiroki Watanabe (another contestant) and Nahoko Okada respectively.

In the other category, the speech contest was held among the nationals of all other countries except the Japanese. The first, second and third prizes were given to Izu Shrestha of Nepal, Iman Ibrahim Al Sharif of Jordan and Lee Hyun A of Korea respectively. The programme was followed by a cultural soiree.

It can be mentioned that JUAAB is an organization of Bangladeshi nationals who are engaged in various professions in Bangladesh after completing their higher education in Japan. JUAAB started its activities from the beginning of 2000 under the direct support of the Japanese Embassy. It has been working for strengthening Japan-Bangladesh education and cultural exchanges. The organisation is patronized by the Embassy of Japan in Dhaka.