New Delhi: From how to deal with exam stress and cope with peer pressure to tips on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and charting a definitive career path, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had much to tell students, teachers and parents during the seventh edition of the annual Pariksha Pe Charcha programme.
“It is important to help children cope with pressures… One must become capable of bearing any kind of pressure. While it keeps on building, one has to prepare oneself,” he said during the event held Monday at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Organised by the Ministry of Education, the annual event engages teachers, students and parents from across the country in conversations about how to make education less stressful for students.
During the event, held ahead of the upcoming board exams, students also organised an exhibition of arts and science projects as well as cultural performances. This was followed by a “Bharat Pe Charcha” anthem performed by a group of students.
Besides answering questions posed by students and teachers present in the auditorium, Modi also responded to queries shared with him through video messages. “We might not be able to solve all problems but we can try,” he said at the onset.
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Peer pressure, external pressures & ‘reels’
The session began with questions about stress and exam pressure. Modi said the only solution to cope with pressure was to be prepared. “We need to make ourselves capable of bearing the pressure,” he said. He added, “There is nothing like the ‘right’ time, so do not wait for it. Challenges will keep coming, and you must challenge those challenges.”
Noting that the competition should not reach a level where it is no longer healthy, the Prime Minister highlighted how “running commentary” from parents and other relatives, drawing negative comparisons impacts a child’s mental health. “Parents who have not been successful in their lives often tend to make their children’s report cards their visiting cards,” he said, adding that it makes the students feel overconfident.
Pointing out the need for a deeper bond between teachers and students, he suggested that students not feel tense while discussing their problems with their teachers. “Teachers’ role is not just to do a job but to change the lives of students,” he said.
Emphasising how peer pressure and self-induced pressure are the other forms of pressure that cause stress and anxiety in students, Modi told students, “You need to set small goals, and even if you are not able to complete the goal, you can restart tomorrow. You prepare your mind just like you do while going to a cold place, then you adapt quickly.”
Answering questions on finding a balance between studying for exams and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, he said a healthy body is the most important aspect of a healthy mind, adding that it can be attained through proper sleep. “You start watching reels and then you forget that you were supposed to sleep in the first place,” he said.
The Prime Minister further explained to students the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle. “For this, you also need nutrition which is not about being rich or poor, whatever is available to you, just make use of it,” he said.
When a student asked if children nowadays have stopped using their minds, Modi laughed and blamed social media for it. “You can’t run away from technology but at least use it wisely,” he said.
“We need to create a country where the coming generations know they can grow,” he said.
“Positive thinking is the biggest power.”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)