New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told students Friday that they should not worry about exams. “Instead let parents do all the worrying,” he said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the fifth iteration of the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ – an annual event during which Modi addresses students, teachers and parents in India and abroad.
Modi stressed how special this programme was to him, and how he looked forward to talking with youngsters.
But here is more on the prime minister’s advice on how to deal with exam stress, and its attendant evil, fear.
“Why the fear? You have sat for so many exams, and you are at the end of that phase. After crossing the ocean, do not be fearful when the shore is near. You are exam-proof,” Modi told final-year students.
He said students should not worry about not being able to finish the syllabus. “Have faith in what you have covered,” Modi said.
The prime minister asked students not to overthink, not to panic as “exams prepare us for the challenges ahead”. “Enjoy exams like a festival,” Modi said while extending his greetings to all for the festivities in April.
The prime minister discussed the merits of both online and offline classes. “Online is for seeking, offline for making someone,” he said.
But added: “The medium is not the issue, the brain is. If the brain is willing to learn, the mode does not matter.”
Modi spoke at length about the New Education Policy (NEP). He said many people – “teachers, students, intellectuals” — brainstormed for six to seven years to draft the policy.
“Priority has been given to sports as it builds team spirit and helps in the overall development of a student. We cannot build the 21st Century with policies of the 20th Century. Hence, we must evolve,” he said.
“Skill has been made part of the curriculum as well,” Modi said.
He requested teachers and parents not to project their dreams on the child. “Let them think about their own dreams and hopes. Every child has his own strength. It is your loss if you don’t understand that,” Modi said.
He also cautioned children not to defy parents but to identify their own strengths “and keep working on them”.
Also read: Let’s make Pariksha Pe Charcha a mass movement and build a Naya Bharat: MoS Subhas Sarkar