New Delhi: The National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is working on a proposal to recreate ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ in a virtual format via a web platform, which will host the prime minister’s speeches and allow students to “capture selfies” with him and “share on social media”.
The proposed virtual exhibition of the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ will seek to provide an “immersive experience” to the students, who will be offered the opportunity to showcase their projects in the platform that will also host the speeches made by other Union ministers, according to an official document.
The plan is to draw at least 1 crore online visitors annually, it mentions. ThePrint has a copy of the document.
Launched in 2018, ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ is an annual event in which PM Narendra Modi interacts with students, teachers and parents on ways to tackle exam-related stress. The Opposition has taken swipes at Modi, demanding that he should hold one such interaction on the NEET issue as well.
“The aim is to recreate ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ in a virtual format, allowing audiences from across the country to experience the event all through the year from the comfort of their homes. The virtual platform will showcase the arts, crafts, and innovation projects undertaken by students, providing inspiration and motivation to others,” according to the NCERT’s Expression of Interest (EoI) document released 1 July.
“The experience will be an immersive 3D/ 2D experience, similar to the physical exhibition, offering attendees a unique and engaging virtual environment.”
The web platform will have several layers, ranging from a lobby where students can register themselves, an exhibition hall to showcase selected projects, an auditorium featuring speeches of PM Modi and other ministers, and a selfie zone among others, the EoI document states.
“A dedicated selfie zone could be there to allow attendees to capture selfies with the Honorable Prime Minister, post them on a selfie wall or download them and share them on social media… The auditorium will feature speeches and addresses from the Honorable Prime Minister of India and esteemed ministers, as well as essential sessions and discussions necessary for students,” it adds.
Among the key performance indicators to be tracked after the launch include the “number of selfies taken with the Prime Minister’s avatar”, “number of selfies shared on social media”, “number of selfies posted on the selfie wall”, adds the EoI.
The virtual exhibition hall in the proposed web platform will have “!20 booths” that will host display projects from students in arts, crafts, and science. “Each booth could either feature a 3D/2D avatar of the student along with their exhibits in interactive 3D/2D format (paintings & sculptures) or a video recording of the program or a 2D exhibit.”
The seventh edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ saw 2.26 crore registrations and took place in January. The only time it was shifted online was in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. It is streamed live across television and social media platforms. The students are selected through an online multiple choice question competition, themes for which are shared with schools across the country.
The NCERT has been in the cross hairs of the Opposition over the deletions and additions in its school textbooks
Last month, following a report published in ThePrint on the NCERT’s revision of a chapter of Secularism in its Class 11 Political Science textbook, the Congress accused it of of functioning as an “affiliate” of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and mounting an “assault” on the Constitution.
The revised chapter states that political parties “give priority to the interests of a minority group” with an eye on “vote bank politics”, which leads to “minority appeasement”.
(Edited by Tony Rai)