Srinagar- In a backdrop where nearly 60-65% of school-going adolescents grapple with academic-related stress in Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationwide program – ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ has emerged as a potential solution to alleviate the educational burden on the region’s youth. The initiative to create a stress-free atmosphere for students is garnering increasing support and recognition from students, parents, and educators alike.
The programme was launched by the PM in 2018 with an aim to help the children to overcome the challenges that they face during education.
An official told Kashmir Observer the initiative aims to unite students, parents, teachers, and the community in creating an atmosphere where the distinct individuality of each child is embraced, nurtured, and given the freedom to fully express itself.
On Monday, the PM interacted with students and teachers from the different states of the country at the seventh edition of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’, which was held in a town hall format at Bharat Mandapam here in the national capital.
In a remarkable display of enthusiasm and engagement, an overwhelming number of teachers, students, and parents of District Srinagar gathered at the SCERT auditorium in Bemina to witness the session of the Prime Minister of India. The PM appealed to the parents to avoid comparing the performance of their wards with that of the latter’s friends or siblings as such a practice of “running commentary” will prove detrimental to a child’s future.
In Kashmir, a number of students have attended the programme from the last six years, while others watch the event through different TV channels and social media platforms.
“We are thankful to PM Modi for initiating such a program in which we can directly interact with him and ask questions and get their views registered,” said Abiya Gulzar from RPS School, Anantnag.
She further said that it’s a good program that will help in the overall development of a child.
Mehak Jaan, a student of Kashmir University believes that the initiatives like, “Pariksha pe charcha” are going to have fruitful consequences in curbing the fear of examination among the students, and thus helping them to cope up with the pressure associated with such situations.
“In addition to such initiatives, I anticipate the government and the concerned officials to realise the importance & need of counseling in educational institutions,” she said, adding, “There’s a dire need to integrate education counseling as a part of the school curriculum,”
She suggested that initiatives like Pareeksha pe Charcha must be organised throughout. “This shall have positive consequences towards the holistic development of students,” she added.
Many students whom Kashmir Observer spoke expressed their satisfaction over the programme and urged the government to start such initiatives in every school, college and university.
“In Kashmir, parents often subject their children to pressure, pushing them to achieve higher scores in annual examinations compared to their neighbors’ children. This, in turn, leads to increased stress for the children” said Mohammad Rasib, a student of NIT, srinagar.
Rasib said the government should ensure such programs are happening in every nook and corner of the country.
Another student, Aehsan-ul-Haq, a resident of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district said that he watches the programme on YouTube every year and also shows it to his parents.
“The idea is to sensitize them about the mental health of their kids if put under pressure,” he said.
Tariq Ahmad, a teacher from Srinagar said that they empathize with the mental stress students experience but express their inability to guide students in overcoming the “phobia of needing higher grades.”
“The student comes with this mentality from home. The parents need to understand it but yes the government should also have a holistic policy to help the students to carry on their studies without any competition,” he added.
Notably, the valley has witnessed a number of incidents in which the students end their lives for not clearing an examination or scoring less grades.
The Prime Minister urges everyone to put exams in the right perspective, rather than making it a life-and-death situation punctuated by undue stress and pressure.
“Learning should be an enjoyable, fulfilling and endless journey – this is the message of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s book,” reads a statement from the MoE.
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