PPC 2024 Pariksha Pe Charcha: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (January 29) interacted with students, teachers and parents on the upcoming board exams 2024 in the seventh edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC).

In a conversation with students, PM Modi gave a lot of tips to students to fight exam stress and also gave suggestions to teachers and parents on how to assist children in building a successful career, without additional stress.

Saying that there are two types of pressure — first is self-pressure in which we get too rigid about what we had planned and then get mentally drained if we are unable to meet those goals, and the second kind of pressure is from parents, siblings and teachers. Some parents keep telling children to get up on time, study more, concentrate more, etc.

PM Modi told students that it is essential to make ourselves ready to bear it all. “For example, when we have to go somewhere where it is very cold, we mentally start preparing ourselves a few days before going to the place. Then when we finally go to that place, we feel it is not as cold as we thought, and that is because we had mentally prepared ourselves. We have to follow the same process for handling academic pressure too,” he added.

Modi also stressed on the importance of staying happy and interacting with peers, rather than mindlessly obsessing over unimportant problems. “It is important to stay happy and crack jokes before the start of exams. Live for yourself for a few minutes and take a deep breath when you sit in the exam hall. Don’t worry about miscellaneous things such as where is the teacher, where is the CCTV etc. None of that affects you. Just take a deep breath and relax,” the Prime Minister said.

PM Modi also pointed out that a lot of students have lost the habit of writing with pen and paper these days due to the excessive use of mobile phones and laptops. He advised students to start writing practice daily. “Take one topic and write on that, and then correct your writing. This exercise will help you correct your mistakes and will also help you strategise in the right manner,” the PM said.

PM Modi advised students to take a deep breath and then go through the full question paper beforehand to make a strategy that which question will take how much time. This can help students plan their exam time properly without taking extra stress of how much time is left. This is especially helpful for those students who tend to get stressed especially in the last few minutes of the exam.

Modi advised students to make it a habit to sit in sunlight every day for a few hours. “The sunlight plays an important role in recharging your body, so make it a habit to spend some time outdoors in the sun, even if you sit outdoors in the sunlight with a book,” the PM said while sharing tips for a healthy life.

He also stressed the importance of exercise in a student’s life. “There are some students who go on their terrace and walk in the sunlight while going through their books. That is also a very good idea. As long as you have some physical activity, your body will be healthy,” he said.

Asking the students to take their friends’ good marks and achievements as inspiration rather than jealousy, the Prime Minister said: “If your friend scored 90, then it is not like you are left with 10 marks. You still have your 100 to score, and that should be your thought process. That friend should be your inspiration and not unhealthy competition. If students don’t follow this thought process then you may never befriend people who are right for you in life.”

Also, the Prime Minister advised parents to not make their children’s scorecards as visiting cards. He said: “When some children score very well, their parents sometimes end up making their scorecard as their visiting card. Due to this, that student may start thinking that he/she doesn’t have to do anything as he/she is the best in the world. That is also a very dangerous trait, so even that should be avoided.”

Parents should also avoid comparing their child with other children from their batch etc. This will bring in unhealthy competition, which will negatively impact your child, he added. “Some families give birth to competition between siblings too by comparing them with each other in undertones on a daily level. I urge parents to not compare their children this way as it can bring an unhealthy competition and drive them away from each other in the long run too,” he said.