Pariksha Pe Charcha: Student from Gujarat seeks PM Modi's advice on competition among friends

New Delhi: In his annual address to children who are set to sit for their Board exams, PM Modi gave several tips and advice on how to stave off pressure. He asked children to look at competition as inspiration, and said that surrounding themselves with ambitious friends could prove to be a boon. He asked parents to not compare their children with other children and asked teachers to treat all children equally.

The ministry of education said that a record 2.26 crore students registered for the Pariksha Pe Charcha address, now in its seventh year.

Advising children to learn how to handle pressure, Modi said that students should learn to make themselves capable. “Students need to make themselves ready to go through any condition. If we visit any cold place, we make up our minds, and accordingly, we keep ourselves ready… in the same way you have to be ready for exams,” the prime minister said.

Modi also urged parents to show restraint when dealing with their children so that there is no pressure on them. “You must not compare one child with another as that can be detrimental to their future. Some parents treat their children's report card as their visiting card, this is not good,” Modi said.

Modi also interacted with some of the children; from each state two children were selected to interact with the prime minister during the event which was held at the Bharat Mandapam.

From Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, Sheikh Kaifur Rahman studying at the Jawhar Navodaya Vidyalaya asked the PM for advice to deal with nervousness ahead of exams that lead to mistakes. In reply, the PM said that students should be patient. “Maintain composure, do not get too excited and try to reach the exam hall at least 10-15 minutes before to make yourself comfortable,” Modi said.

Another student from Gujarat, Drashti Chauhan who studies at Panchmahal’s Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya sought advice from the prime minister on how to deal with competition between friends.

“If your friend is appearing for a paper of 100 marks, you are also giving the same paper. Where is the question of competition with your friend here? You need to compete with yourself, not with your friend. There is no need to hold a grudge against your friend because he can also become a source of inspiration for you,” the prime minister said.

The prime minister also took questions from teachers; responding to questions from two teachers — music teacher Kondakanchi Sampatha Rao from Uppparapalli’s ZP High School in Andhra Pradesh and Bunty Medhi from Assam’s Sivasagar on the role of teachers — Modi said that a good teacher-student relationship can help reduce stress. “Teachers are not in a job role but they shoulder the responsibility of grooming the lives of students”, Modi said, adding that music teachers too can help reduce the stress of their students.