Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with students, teachers and parents during the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2024’, in New Delhi on Monday. (PTI)
Pariksha Pe Charcha 2024: PM Narendra Modi, drawing instances from his own journey in the political arena, told the exam warriors that he doesn’t let a difficult situation bother him and instead “gives a challenge to the challenges itself”
From handling competition without being jealous and befriending those brighter than oneself to asking teachers to form an “unbreakable bond” with students and urging parents not to “compare” their children with others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave handy tips to handle exam pressure in the seventh edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) -2024 on Monday.
While the PM’s interaction with students went on for almost two hours, it concluded on an important note on self-confidence to beat any stressful situation in life. Modi, drawing instances from his own journey in the political arena, said that he doesn’t let a difficult situation bother him and instead “gives a challenge to the challenges itself”.
The event was held at Bharat Mandapam, ITPO at Pragati Maidan. PPC is an annual interactive session where the PM talks to students, parents and teachers on exam anxiety. This year, over 205.62 lakh students, 14.93 lakh teachers and 5.69 lakh parents registered for the session, as per the MyGov portal.
The five big messages from the PM’s interaction:
1. Avoid unhealthy competition, take inspiration from peers doing well
When a number of students asked about how to handle pressure and competition among peers, PM Modi said that while competition is crucial for growth, but it need not be unhealthy. The PM asked students to always make friends with brighter students, but at the same time rejoice in their achievements and be inspired by them. Instead of competing with others, one has to compete with oneself. He cited an example of a video where children prioritised helping each other while competing in a healthy manner. “Doing well in exams is not a zero-sum game and competition is with oneself as good performance by a friend does not restrict the field to do well. If your friend scored 90, then it is not like you are left with 10 marks. You still have your 100 to score and that should be your thought process. That friend should be your inspiration and not unhealthy competition. If students don’t follow this thought process then you may never befriend people who are right for you in life,” the PM said.
2. Teachers must focus on those lagging behind, make a lasting bond with students
The role of teachers in a student’s life is immense and they must not treat it as just a job, the PM said while urging teachers to motivate students on their strengths instead of just focusing on where they are weak. “Most teachers just focus on the bright few in the class while not bothering as much about the rest of the students, who might just be average or weak in academics. The teacher’s job is to focus on those lagging behind and instill confidence in them.” He emphasised on student-teacher association, right from the first day of class to the time of the exam and said that it would completely eliminate stress during exams. He also urged teachers to become more accessible to students rather than associating with them on the basis of subjects taught. “Teachers must develop a personal connect and an unbreakable bond with students and even visit their families to appreciate their achievements before them. Teachers are not in a job role, but they shoulder the responsibility of grooming the lives of students, the PM added.
3. Don’t treat technology as an intruder rather engage with it positively
Modi invoked the Indian shastras to underline that excess of anything is bad, which also applies to the consumption of mobile phone and social media. The Prime Minister stressed on making effective use of technology and mobile phones with the help of judgement-based decision-making. Parents, student and teachers have to collectively address this issue. “Every parent faces this issue pointing out the subject of privacy and secrecy. Families must formulate a set of rules like creating a ‘no gadget zone’ in the house. We cannot run away from technology. It should not be considered a burden, but it is mandatory to learn its effective usage.” He suggested students educate their parents about technology being an educational resource and also recommended sharing the passcodes of every mobile phone in their homes with every member to establish transparency. “This would prevent a lot of evils,” he added. Besides, parents must focus on monitoring screen time with the use of dedicated mobile applications and tools, while teachers must educate students about the resourcefulness of mobile phones in the classroom.
4. Adequate sleep, diet, exercise for mental, physical health
Many students asked the PM on how to strike a balance between exam preparation and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The PM started with telling students about the importance on adequate sleep. “Many children these days are just scrolling through reels for hours before bedtime and forget how much sleep time they have lost,” he said, while adding an example from his own routine, “I sleep within 30 seconds of going to bed.” He stressed on exercise saying that it is important to recharge oneself. “Healthy body is critical for a healthy mind.” Being healthy requires some routines and asked about spending time in sunlight and getting regular and complete sleep. He pointed out that habits like screen time are eating into the required sleep which is considered very important by modern health science.
5. Beat exam stress with self-confidence, prepare well and believe in your own ability
Modi noted that questions regarding cultural and societal expectations have always come up in the past editions of PPC and now as well. Highlighting the role of teachers in mitigating the impact of added pressure from external factors upon students, the PM pointed out that parents have experienced this from time to time. He suggested making oneself capable of handling pressure and preparing for it as a part of life, while urging students to prepare themselves mentally by giving the example of travelling from one extreme climate condition to the other where the mind already prepares to face extreme weather conditions.
“Confusion and indecisiveness too are some of the biggest problems students need to address. There must not be any. NEP 2020 has brought in a lot of opportunities for students. If you have chosen one discipline, then you have the option of changing to something else if you develop an interest in other disciplines. You have the luxury of flexibility now due to NEP 2020,” the PM said.
