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Students lost a year due to Covid-19, but learnt many lessons, says PM Modi
In an hour-long virtual interaction of Pariksha pe Charcha, the PM also said that universities should study the impact of the pandemic on families.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday interacted with 1.3 million students, teachers and parents from over 90 countries in the fourth edition of his Pariksha pe Charcha, saying that students “lost a year of their lives” due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an hour-long virtual interaction, the PM also said that universities should study the impact of the pandemic on families.
“As far as Covid is concerned, I believe that you have faced trials for a mistake that you did not make. This is a lesson that many times in life, events occur that are beyond your control. Students have lost a year of their lives and it will not be easy to make up for that,” the PM said in his annual interaction with students.
While he highlighted the importance of the classroom set up, Modi also said that living indoors with families has made people realize “the importance of people in our lives”.
“During the Covid-19 times if we have lost much, we have also gained. The biggest learning is that we have come to realise the importance of people in our live. We have learnt we can’t take anything for granted. The pandemic has also increased the bonding between families. I would want our universities to study the impact of Covid-19 on families,” he said.
The Prime Minister also stressed on the need for positive motivation for students ahead of exams and creating a conducive environment for holistic growth.
“The first step to motivating children is training. There are many ways to do this, through books, stories and experiences. If you want your child to wake up early, don’t force them to do it. Instead, introduce them to books and discuss with them the benefits doing the same,” the PM said.
He said that by creating an environment of fear, children will work in a restricted ambit. “Negative motivation does not work. The fear will eventually fade, and child will return to old habits. The mantra for everyone should be positive motivation, which has a long-lasting impact,” Modi said.
The PM even offered a “memory ki jadibooti (herbs)” and urged the students to “involve, associate and internalize.
“When you listen to the national anthem, visualise yourself traveling through the entire country. If you get involved in the information, if you understand it, then you will not forget,” he said.
Addressing the fear of exams, the PM said, “Exams aren’t a question of life and death. Parents tend to pressurise children, which causes them to fear exams. We should avoid that. Their confidence will increase only if we eliminate external pressure.”
Abhishek Singh, CEO of Mygov, citizen engagement platform, said that the participation for the fourth edition increased exponentially. “For the first time, there has been international participation. There were participants from nearly 94 countries. Over 13 lakh people registered for the session.”
In February, it was announced that Modi’s annual interaction with students would be held online this year in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first edition of the PM’s interaction with school and college students “Pariksha Pe Charcha 1.0” was held at the Talkatora Stadium on February 16, 2018.
