New Delhi: In the 6th edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC), the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, interacted with students, teachers and parents today at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. He also witnessed the exhibits of students showcased at the venue before the interaction. Pariksha Pe Charcha has been conceptualised by the Prime Minister wherein students, parents, and teachers interact with him on various topics related to life and exams. About 38.80 Lakh registrations have taken place this year from 155 countries in this year’s edition of PPC.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister highlighted that this is the first time that Pariksha Pe Charcha is taking place during the Republic Day celebrations and noted that those visiting New Delhi from other states also got a glimpse of the Republic Day. Throwing light on the importance of Pariksha Pe Charcha for the Prime Minister himself, he pointed out the millions of questions that are posed as part of the programme and said that it gives him insight into the minds of the young generations of India. “These questions are like a treasure trove for me”, the Prime Minister said. He pointed out that he would like the compilation of all these questions which can be analysed by social scientists in the coming years giving us a detailed thesis about the minds of young students at such a dynamic time.
On handling disappointment
Addressing a question regarding family disappointment in the case of poor marks from Ms Ashwini Kendriya Vidyalaya student from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, Navtej from KV, Pitampura Delhi Delhi, and Priyanka Kumari from Navin Balika School in Patna the Prime Minister said that there is nothing wrong with family expectations. However if these expectations, he said, are due to social status-related expectations then it is concerning.
On preparation for exams and time management
Addressing the questions about not knowing where to start the preparations for the exam and the stressful situation leading to forgetfulness from Arushi Thakur a class 11th student from KV, Dalhousie, and questions about time management during exams from Aditi Diwan from Krishna Public School, Raipur the Prime Minister stressed the importance of time management in general life with or without exams.
On unfair means in exams and taking shortcuts
Rupesh Kashyap, a Class 9th student from Swami Atmanand Govt School in Bastar asked about ways of avoiding unfair means in the exams. Tanmay Biswal of Konark Puri Odisha also asked about the elimination of cheating in the examination. The Prime Minister expressed happiness that students had raised the topic of finding ways to deal with malpractices during the exam and pointed out the negative change in the morals where a student takes pride in fooling the supervisor while cheating in an exam.
On working hard vs working smart
A student from Kozhikode Kerala asked about the need and dynamics of hard work versus smart work. Giving the example of smart work, the Prime Minister highlighted the parable of the thirsty crow who threw stones in a pitcher to quench his thirst. He emphasised the need to closely analyse and understand the work and highlighted the moral from the story of working hard, smartly.
“Every work should be first examined thoroughly” he added. He gave the example of a smart working mechanic who fixed a jeep within two mins for two hundred rupees and said that it is the work experience that counts rather than the time spent working. “Everything cannot be achieved with hard labour”. Similarly, in sports also specialised training is important. He said that we should focus on what needs to be done. One should do hard work smartly and in the areas that are important.
On recognising one’s potential
Jovita Patra, a student of Class 10th from Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya, Gurugram asked about doing well in exams as an average student. The Prime Minister appreciated the need for having a realistic assessment of oneself. Once this realisation is there, the Prime Minister said, appropriate goals and skills should be set by the student. Knowing one’s potential makes a person very capable, he said. He asked parents to do a correct assessment of their children.
On handling criticism
Mannat Bajwa, a student from St. Joseph Secondary School, Chandigarh, Kumkum Pratap bhai Solanki, a class 12th student from Ahmedabad and Akash Darira, a Class 12th student from Whitefield Global School, Bangalore asked the Prime Minister about tackling the people who hold negative views and opinions towards him and how it affects him. Ashtami Sen, a student of Class 11th from DAV Public School in South Sikkim also raised a similar question about tackling the critical standpoint of the media.
The Prime Minister stressed that he believes in the principle that criticism is a purification yajna and the root condition of a prospering democracy. Emphasising the need for feedback, the Prime Minister gave examples of a programmer who puts up his code on open source for improvements, and companies that put up their products for sale in the market asking the customers to find the flaws in the products.
On gaming and online addiction
Dipesh Ahirwar from Bhopal, Aditabh a class ten student asked his question via India TV, Kamakshi asked her question via Republic TV, and Manan Mittal via Zee TV asked questions about the addiction to online games and social media and resulting distractions.
The Prime Minister said that the first decision is to decide whether you are smart or your gadget is smart. The problem starts when you start to consider the gadget as smarter than you. One’s smartness enables one to utilise the smart gadget smartly and treat them as instruments that help in productivity. He expressed concern that, as per a study, the average screen time for an Indian is up to six hours. In such a situation gadget enslaves us, he said. “God has given us free will and an independent personality and we should always be conscious about becoming slaves to our gadgets”, The Prime Minister said.
On stress after exams
Addressing the questions from Nidah, a student of class 10 from Govt Model High Secondary School, Jammu about channelising the stress from not getting the desired results even after working hard and Prashant, a class student of Shaheed Naik Rajendra Singh Rajkiya School, Palwal, Haryana asked about how stress affects the results, the Prime Minister said that the main reason for stress after exams is not accepting the truth about if the exams went well.
The Prime Minister also mentioned competition among students as a stress-inducing factor and suggested that students should live and learn from themselves and their surroundings while strengthening their inner capabilities. Shedding light on the outlook towards life, the Prime Minister remarked that one exam is not the end of life and overthinking about the results should not become a thing of everyday life.
On benefits of learning new languages
Addressing questions by R Aksharasiri, a class 9th student from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Rangareddy, Telangana and Ritika, a class 12th student from Rajkiya Madhyamik Vidyalaya, Bhopal about how one can learn more languages and how it can benefit them, the Prime Minister highlighted the cultural diversity and rich heritage of India and said that it is a matter of great pride that India is home to hundreds of languages and thousands of dialects.
On the role of teachers in motivating students
Sunanya Tripathi, a teacher from Cuttack, Odisha asked the Prime Minister about motivating students and keeping classes interesting and disciplined. The Prime Minister said that teachers should be flexible and not be too rigid about the topic and syllabus. He stressed that teachers should establish rapport with students. Teachers should always promote curiosity among students as it is their big strength.
He said even today, students value their teachers a lot. That is why, said the Prime Minister, teachers should take time to say something. Regarding ways of establishing discipline, the Prime Minister said that instead of humiliating weak students, teachers should reward strong students by asking questions. Similarly, by establishing a dialogue with students with discipline issues instead of hurting their egos, their behaviour can be guided in the right direction. “I believe that we should not go the way of corporal punishment to establish discipline, we should choose dialogue and rapport”.
On the behaviour of students
Addressing the question from Smt Suman Mishra, a parent from New Delhi about the behaviour of students in society, the Prime Minister remarked that parents should not limit the scope of the behaviour of students in society. “Let there be a holistic approach to the student’s development in society. The Prime Minister advised against restricting students to a narrow sphere and encouraged an expanded circle for the students.
He recalled his own advice that the students should be encouraged to travel outside after their exams and record their experiences. Setting them free like this will enable them to learn a lot. After class 12 exams they should be encouraged to go outside their states. He asked parents to keep pushing their children for new experiences. He also asked parents to be vigilant about the moods and situation of their situation. He said this happens when parents treat themselves as custodian of God\’s gift i.e. children.
