"Opportunity, Not End Of Dreams": PM's Advice To Students On Exams

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held his "Pariksha pe charcha" -- his annual interaction with students before the board exams --- to boost their confidence. Advising students not to fear exams, he said an exam is just "an opportunity for future, not an end to dreams". An exam, he added, "is not the last milestone in your life... parents, teachers should not create pressure".

"What is there to fear? Is it the first time you are taking the exam? You know everything," he told students. The fear, he said, is born because of the great expectations built around exams.

"Exams being painted as a big hurdle," he said. "There is a word for exams -- Kasauti (to stretch)  -- as if exams are the last step... There is an atmosphere around you, telling you that this exam is everything... even at school, by parents, relatives... they create such an atmosphere of fear".

Pointing to the role of the family in generating this atmosphere, he said, "Today, a lot of parents are so busy. They don't get involved with their children. To gauge their children's strengths, they have to check the report card".

More than 10 lakh students had registered for the interaction with the Prime Minister, which was held online this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ahead of last year's event, the Prime Minister had said, "Pariksha Pe Charcha is the event closest to my heart. Thousands of schools from the entire country participate in this and I feel how the youth of the country think and what they want to do".

The opposition, however, has branded it a "waste of time", pointing to the dearth of jobs in the country. "Modi should do a Naukri Par Charcha," Left leader Sitaram Yechury had said.