On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised parents not to treat their child’s report card as their own visiting card. He suggested that students should compete with themselves, not others. During his annual ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme, while interacting with students, parents, and teachers, the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of instilling resilience in children to help them cope with pressures. He also asserted parents and teachers should collectively address the challenges faced by students.
“It is crucial to instill resilience in our children and help them cope with pressures. We cannot simply switch off, and once the pressure is gone, one must become capable of bearing any kind of pressure. Children should believe that pressure keeps on building, and they have to prepare themselves for it. Comparing one child with another can be detrimental to their future. Some parents treat their children’s report cards as their visiting cards, and this is not good,” he said.
Modi suggested that parents establish certain rules and regulations, such as creating “no gadget zones in the house” and implementing “no gadgets during dinner.”
He also recommended sharing the passcodes of all mobile phones in the household with every member to establish transparency. The PM emphasised that technology should not be considered a burden, but it is essential to learn how to use it to one’s advantage.
“Parents should formulate a set of rules and regulations in the family, like having no electronic gadgets during dinner and creating gadget-free zones in the house. In today’s world, one cannot run away from technology. It should not be considered a burden but is mandatory to learn its effective usage,” he said.
The PM explained that the stress on students is of three types---induced by peer pressure, by parents and self induced. “At times children take pressure on themselves that they are not performing up to the mark. I suggest that you should set small goals during preparation and gradually improve your performance, this way you will be completely ready before the exams,” he said.
The PM also suggested students to “always make friends who are more intelligent and work harder”. “You must be inspired by such friends. Don’t let the pressure of studies and examinations overpower you,” he said.
Modi said that even though competition and challenges act as inspirations but competition must be healthy. “Lot of parents keep on giving examples of other children to their children. Parents should avoid doing these things...,” he said.
“You must not compare one child with another as that can be detrimental to their future. Some parents treat their children’s report card as their visiting card, this is not good,” he said.
“Students need to make themselves ready to go through any condition. If we visit any cold place, we make up our minds, and accordingly, we keep ourselves ready...(in the) same way you have to be ready for exams,” Modi said.
“Teachers must expand their connections with students much beyond their subject syllabus so that students can reach out to their teachers even for the smallest of problems. Music teachers can not only help their own students deal with tensions, they can do so for students of the entire school,” Modi said.
Replying to questions on balancing studies with a healthy life, Prime Minister Modi said many students use mobile-phones and some do it for many hours. He advised students not to use their sleep time for watching reels.
“They should understand that even mobiles need recharge to be used, and similarly, our body also needs to be recharged. On the other hand, some students keep playing all the time, but it is necessary to strike a balance. A healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind. Good and sound sleep is also a must for good health. Don’t use your sleep time for watching reels,” he said.
“I get into deep sleep within 30 seconds of lying on the bed on all 365 days. When I am awake, I am fully awake, but I am totally asleep while sleeping. Nutrition is also necessary. Our body must get the required nutrition. A good balance of food and regular exercise for fitness are also necessary,” Modi said.
The PM also advised students to practice writing. “In this age of mobile phones and laptops, students are losing the practice to write while exams are supposed to be handwritten. Of the time dedicated to studies, you should devote at least 50 per cent time to practise writing,” he said.
Organised by the Ministry of Education, Pariksha Pe Charcha has been engaging students, parents and teachers for the past six years.
In reply to a question on how he keeps a positive mindset amid the challenges of his job, Modi said every person has to manage situations and tests, and some people believe in waiting for the crises to pass and circumstances to improve. Such people cannot achieve anything in life, he added.
“My nature is different. I do not keep sleeping while waiting for challenges to pass and the situation to improve on its own. I challenge every challenge and I get to learn new things and evolve new strategies, which also contributes to my development,” the PM told students.
Modi said he was confident that over 140 crore citizens of the country were with him. If there are 100 million challenges, then there are billions of solutions as well, he said and cited his government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as an example.
The PM said the government alone cannot eradicate poverty and it can be curbed when every poor person resolves to step up.
“It is my responsibility that I fulfil their dreams, give them pucca houses, toilets, educational facilities, health insurance, water... If I give them the freedom from challenges to deal with daily issues and empower them, they will find that poverty is gone,” he said, adding that nearly 25 crore people came out of poverty during his 10-year tenure. Modi said he never felt lonely or that he was merely a “chaiwala” who cannot do it.
Interacting with the PM, Chandresh Jain, a parent from Pune, raised concerns about the intrusion of technology in students’ live, while Kumari Puja Srivastava, a parent from Ramgarh in Jharkhand, asked him how to manage studies with the abundance of social media platforms to distract them.
Abhinav Rana, a student from TR DAV School in Himachal Pradesh, asked him how to beat exam stress. “Excess of anything is bad,” the Prime Minister said, comparing excess mobile phone usage with home-cooked meals which when taken in excess can lead to stomach problems and other issues, even though it is rich in nutrients.
Raising the issue of striking a balance between exam preparation and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, Dhiraj Subhas, a student of Senior Secondary School from Rajasthan, Najma Khatoon from PM SHRI Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kargil, Abhishek Kumar Tiwari, and a teacher from Tobi Lahme, a government higher secondary in Arunachal Pradesh, asked the prime minister about managing studies along with exercise.
Modi stressed the need for a balanced diet and also emphasised the importance of regular exercise and physical activities for fitness.
A total of 31.24 lakh students, 5.60 lakh teachers and 1.95 lakh parents participated in the previous year’s edition. This year, an estimated 2.26 crore registrations have taken place on the MyGov portal, highlighting widespread enthusiasm among students.
This year’s event was held in a town-hall format at the Bharat Mandapam. Two students and a teacher from each state and Union Territory, along with winners of the Kala Utsav, were invited.