Shekhar Iyer

 Every year just before the onset of exam seasons, Prime Minister Narendra Modi goes live to interact with school students and teachers across the country. He hears out their queries regarding tackling examinations, and bursting stress associated with it and offers tips on facing challenges ahead.

Called Pariksha Pe Charcha' the event shows an otherwise busy Modi taking time off his tight schedule to converse with the students who appear very enthusiastic to participate in the exercise.

A total of 12.12 lakh students, 2.71 lakh teachers, and 90,000 parents were registered for the event on April 1 this year, which was watched live on Doordarshan and the Youtube channel of the Union Ministry of Education (MoE), Facebook Live, and Swayaprabha channels of MoE.  It was also broadcast on All India Radio, Live web-streaming of the PMO, the Ministry of Education, Doordarshan, and My.gov.in.

For Modi's critics, it is yet another PR exercise. Opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi have made it a point to mock Modi's interaction every year since 2018.  On the other hand, the participants find that it is quite an experience to be able to quiz Modi on the challenges that he faces and look for tips for a man who remains the most popular political leader in India.

An unassuming Modi is often seen in Pariksha Pe Charcha as a kind of down-to-earth person who understands the woes of these young people. He shows that he may be occupying the most powerful office but he can read their mind's anxieties. He also comes out as one who is willing to share his experiences before he became PM.

Students love Modi for his simple talk and see in him a very ordinary person who is not oblivious to what is bothering them so much -- as they reach the end of their school life and get ready to step out into the arena of higher learning.

At the fifth edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha on April 1, Modi, who had written a book titled Exam Warriors, interacted with students, teachers, and parents at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi. He inspected the exhibits of the students showcased at the venue before the interaction. In keeping with his style, Modi maintained an interactive, jovial tone throughout the interaction.

This year's interaction was a live event unlike last year's online exercise due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Previous charchas have been live events. Seeing an overwhelming response this time, Modi announced that the questions from students that could not be taken by him will be addressed through video, audio, or text message on the Namo App.

The big question is: Is there politics involved in such an exercise? The answer is no, unless the opposition thinks that Modi's every interaction woos a potential voter. The exercise per se does not seem to have a political objective, except to convey the message that the Prime Minister of India may be a busy bee or tied up with one thousand things. But when it comes to the future of our children, he feels as much responsibility as any parent does --to reassure each one of them that the exams are not the end of their world.

 

Such an assurance seems necessary because the Indian education system has remained too much "examination obsessed" rather than "learning-oriented" with a premium laid on learning by rote. One needs to understand how motivated students feel after such an interaction. He does convey an impression that the ills of our education system are very much on the minds of the top echelons of the government of India and would be redressed. Coming back to Pariksha Pe Charcha this year, Modi shared a series of tips for them and their parents. 

Some of the topics Modi shared include "On memory power", "Role of technology in student life", "Are children just meant to fulfill the unfulfilled dreams of their parents", "How to deal with depression", "Beware of depression", "Best use of free time", "Whom to compete with" and "How to improve concentration."

Modi told the children: "make sure in your mind that exams are an easy part of life. These are small steps in our development journey. We have gone through this stage even before. We have given the exam many times before. When this confidence is created then these experiences become your strength for the coming exams."

As for the online learning that the students had to undergo due to the pandemic, Modi said,"If the mind is somewhere else, then listening stops. Things that happen offline also happen online. It means that the medium is not the problem, the mind is the problem. Whether the medium is online or offline, if the mind is completely immersed in it, then online or offline will not matter for you."

However, the most important message was reserved for the parents. The Prime Minister asked the parents and teachers not to force their dreams on the students. “Unfulfilled dreams of teachers and parents cannot be forced on students. Every child needs to follow his dreams."

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He urged the parents and teachers to accept that every student has some special ability and to discover that. He told the student to recognize their strength and move ahead with confidence. "First of all, I would like to say to the parents and teachers that you should not try to pass on your dreams (which you could not fulfill) to your children. 

"In the olden days, the teacher used to have contact with the family. Teachers were familiar with what families thought of their children. The family was familiar with what the teachers did. That is, whether education went on in school or at home, everyone was on the same platform.

"But now the parents do not have time for what the child does throughout the day. The teacher's role is limited to covering the syllabus. But the child's mind does something else. Unless we try to know the strengths, limits, interests, and expectations of the child closely, somewhere he can stumble. That's why I would like to say to every parent and teacher that your expectation can be a burden on your child, try to avoid it." On the whole, Modi's exercise is an important initiative for the education system to tune itself to the needs of our children and not the other way around.