Sisimpur reaches the 19-year mark

‘Sisimpur, the popular children’s programme that embarked on television aiming to turn learning into a more enjoyable experience for pre-primary and primary level children, has completed 18 years of its journey in Bangladesh and now entering the 19th year mark this 15th April. Sisimpur is the co-production of the popular US based children’s tv show Sesame Street produced by Sesame Workshop and its early childhood program activities range from the broadcast of research driven content on television, social media platforms, development of storybook titles, mobile application, and community outreach events as well, with the goal to reach all children of Bangladesh.

Sesame Workshop Bangladesh initiated Sisimpur in Bangladesh with the support of USAID/Bangladesh, who continues to be a pivotal partner in this journey even today. Each year, 15th April is celebrated as ‘Sisimpur Day’ as it was the very first day Sisimpur was broadcasted on television.

Through popular television shows and printed materials, Sisimpur continues to help children in identifying letters, identifying letters from words, matching words with letters, creating sentences with words and foundational numeracy as well. Children enjoy this content even more when they hear it from the muppets characters of Sisimpur – Halum, Tuktuki, Ikri and Shiku, who connect with children of diversified socio-economic backgrounds.

At present, the 15th Season of Sisimpur is currently being telecasted on television, where the show introduced a new friend named Julia, who is a four-year-old muppet with autism. As part of Sisimpur’s vision to promote a diverse, equitable and inclusive Bangladesh, the introduction of Julia is expected to play a critical role to help communities and children understand how they can support children with autism or disabilities to reach their potential as well. The show is currently being aired on BTV, Duronta TV and Maasranga TV.

From the onset of this endeavor, BTV has been broadcasting the Sisimpur programme relentlessly for the last 18 years which is a remarkable fact. This is a result of the cordial effort and support of Ministry of Women and Children’s Affair of Bangladesh and the Authority of Bangladesh Television. Based on recent audience data, about 12 million viewers of the country are enjoying the programme through the three television channels.