Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday advised students to adopt “digital fasting” and suggested the parents should take an initiative to create a “no technology zone” in their homes to help children keep safe from the negative spell of the virtual space.
“Consider yourself smarter than the gadgets. Use technology but don’t let technology use you,” Modi said, addressing his annual “Pariksha Pe Charcha” to lakhs of students, parents, teachers and other stakeholders in school education across the country.
“Technology fasting” at regular intervals and a demarcated area as a “technology-free zone” in every household will lead to the enhanced joy of life and help children come out of the clutches of slavery of gadgets, said Modi.
Modi gave this tip to what he calls the “Exam Warriors” during questions on how to stay focused without getting distracted by social media.
“I am rarely seen with a mobile phone despite being very active. I keep a definite time for such activities. One should not avoid technology but restrict oneself to the things of utility as per one’s need,” he added.
Modi also answered questions by the students about tips to deal with exam stress, time management, how not to resort to cheating, hard work or smartwork among others.
The PM further advised students to learn as many languages as possible to become more knowledgeable.
“Knowing a different language helps you give a sense of familiarity to the other person, he added remarking India is a land of multilingual culture and its citizens should take pride in its presence.
During the session the PM also took questions on the political state of affairs to which he responded saying criticism is an integral part of India’s democracy and students should learn from it to avoid getting affected by negative comments.
“Criticism is like purification in a democracy. The question is out of the syllabus. I have a conviction that criticism is an absolute condition and a Shuddhi Yagna for a prosperous democracy,” he said.
Further cautioning that cheating may help them in an exam or two but not in the long run, Modi talked against the use of unfair practices in exams and advised students against boasting about how well their exam went to avoid stress.
“Cheating may help someone in an exam or two but not in life in the long run. Never take the shortcut.
The hard work of students will always help them advance in life. Students should at times analyse the pressure applied on them to see if they are underestimating their strengths,” he said.Modi said it is natural for family members to have expectations but it is wrong if they are linked to consciousness about social class or status. “Exam results are not the end of life,” he told the students.
Giving the example of people who cross railway tracks to go to another platform instead of taking the foot-over bridge, the Prime Minister pointed out that shortcuts will not take them anywhere and said, “Shortcuts will cut you short.”
Students should concentrate on their studies like a batsman focuses on the ball thrown to him, ignoring the shouts for fours and sixes from the crowd, he added.
“One of the reasons for stress is boasting about how well we did in our exam. Parents start believing in what the children say and start telling this to people around them. Avoid giving a wrong impression about your performance in exams,” the PM said.
Underlining the need for students to expand their horizons, Modi advised parents to give their children some money after Class 10 and 12 exams to travel to a few places and ask them to write about it.
“Students should be encouraged to go and meet people from different strata of society. Students should not be bound by many restrictions. We should allow them to expand their horizons,” he said.
The Prime Minister advised teachers to welcome students who ask questions.”When a student asks questions, that means he or she is inquisitive. This is a good sign,” he said.
The Ministry of Education said a record 38 lakh students registered this year for participation in “Pariksha Pe Charcha”. The number of registrations is at least 15 lakh more than last year, said Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The first edition of the Prime Minister’s interactive programme with school and college students was held on February 16, 2018.