Teachers' Day Live: Create students who can serve nation, PM Modi tells teachers

16:55 pm: Modi ends speech telling teachers to create students who can serve nation Last question: How will you raise skill development in schools, asks a student with a smile. A story about need for vocational knowledge and the Prime Minister speaks about school dropout rates. “For those who drop out there is a need for skill development,” Modi said. Hmm sounds like some hardselling of the National Skill Development Programme no? The PM spoke about developing skills based on industry requirement and said it would boost the economy and employment. And he ended with some words of advice teachers and students. “I am happy with the various questions that I have had to answer. There were some questions that left we wondering whether the inner child has died. You should keep it alive. It keeps you alive. Stay happy, play….Live to the fullest,” the prime minister said. He ended by expressing his respect for all teachers but said that teachers should never be allowed to fade away from one’s life. “Even teachers should ensure they aren’t cut off…Relation between teachers and students should be like that of a family,” he said. Modi promised to ensure that infrastructure was available to ensure teachers were able to nurture students. He urged teachers to work towards ensuring that the nation received students who could work for its benefit. He ended with a story about how he would take children to school and that gave him more pleasure than being CM. And that is it. Somewhat preachy but then that was to be expected. Critical review from a student in Kolkata on Modi’s speech on CNN-IBN: “Seems like the administration is keen to work for us. Now we should also work.” Another student promised to start saving power and water at home. 16: 40: Modi tells kids to save power, water  Question 14 from earnest boy who wants to know how to save electricity. “If you switch on the fan and your friends come and you step out without switching it off. Can’t you remedy that?” asks Modi. We don’t sleep with windows open because we are used to airconditioners, Modi said, adding that people have to work towards energy saving. Go talk to your family about saving water and electricity, Modi said, adding that people have completely lost the habit of saving these resources. Question 15 on what he will do further for education of girls. Modi said that the government was working on ensuring that educational institutes were spread across the country and long distance education using information techonology. Did we hear Digital India? 4:30 pm: PM Modi hardsells his Digital India plan to his audience Questions are from Delhi now. How do you balance work and life? “I don’t find work tiring,” he said, throwing in a story about Mahatma Gandhi. The entire nation is my family and so I don’t feel tired working for the nation. Who says the PM’s aiming for the larger than life image? Question 13: A national education scheme in the offing? Modi tells him instead about the Digital India plan. The PM’s really hardselling his plans to the kids. “It is a difficult plan but I am taking it up,” he said. The PM said that the current programme was a test to see how far he could spread his message today through internet. He then gave the students a word of advice: Read as much as you can. Even if its comics. It will get you onto reading good things. Modi told the students that he wasn’t able to read as much as he liked. “I only get to read files,” he said, adding that the Gujarat education drive was an achievement of sorts. 4:20 pm: Love nature and thread needles on full moon nights, Modi tells kids Question 11 from Tinsukhia is about climate change and leaves the PM impressed about kids’ concern about such matters. “There is no climate change. We have changed. Our habits have worsened and have damaged nature. If we change then it will also change,” Modi said. Man shouldn’t battle nature and should love it, he said. He spoke about the scriptures and what they teach us and threw in a story about the Nagpur mayor as well who switches off streetlights on full moon nights. “People started switching off their lives to enjoy the sight of the moon,” he said. He then asked how many of them had seen sunrise, sunset and a full moon. Turns out his entire audience. So the PM went back to his story. “I told the mayor to hold contests on full moon nights to see how people could thread needles,” he said. Eek. He also told the children to experiment with it and write back to him about it. If they find streetlights and power gone on nights, their parents may also be writing in. 16:15 pm: Modi gets students to get started on his dream power conservation project Question 10: What are you doing for higher education for girls in this area, asks a girl from Bastar. Modi took a moment to praise the state’s CM for work being done in the region and said he himself endorsed greater education for women. He took a moment out also to tell them about his scheme for toilets in schools for girls and also praised the student of Bastar for being worried about higher education. Question 11 from Port Blair: How can we serve the nation? Modi started by asking the audience about how organised they were. “People think working of the nation is giving their life for the country or becoming a politician. But that is not the case,” he said. He then drew from his speech at the BJP’s recent meet and spoke about a electricity saving campaign that could be headed by children to ensure savings at home. “If you save power at home, then a poor man may have power at home and that is service to the nation,” Modi said. 16:05 pm: The mischievous childhood of Modi Question 8; What kind of student would you prefer, asks a Kerala student. Modi said he was a teacher he wouldn’t discriminate and said all should treated equally. And there are critics who say he’s divisive. Question 9: Where you mischievous as a child, asks a Leh student. I was in Leh recently. Do you remember what I said, Modi asks. The students are pretty stumped. He said he was always a mischievous person as a child and said that he would go to functions where people were playing shehnais and would dangle tamarind in front of them to distract them. “They would chase us. I hope you won’t do that,” Modi said. He also said he and friends would staple clothes of people together and run away. But he made them promise not to do that themselves. 15:59: Modi tells kids about Japan schools and how to become the PM  Question 6: How can I be the PM of country, asks student from Imphal “Start preparing for the 2022 elections, because that will mean I am not under threat till then,” he says. Irani seems to be laughing the hardest. India is a great country that anyone could be PM of country and if you become PM I hope that you will call me for your swearing ceremony, Modi said. Question 7: What’s the difference between schools in Japan and India? “There schools almost have no teaching but it gives children the chance to learn…Every student is very disciplined, " Modi said, adding how parents ensure the safety of the travelling children. They also learn to use technology a lot more, he said. “There is also a push for scientific temperament, cleanliness and respect is visible everywhere. This is because of values. These were the biggest differences,” Modi said. 15:50 pm: I am a taskmaster, says Modi Question 4: What do you get out of being here? He said that he wasn’t there because it gave him anything and said it was good because it had given the media the chance to children to speak on television. “People are tired of seeing our faces, the nation is happier seeing your faces,” Modi said. This time he’s got the whole hall smiling. Question 5: You seem friendly what are you like in real life? Irani laughs. Modi started with an incident in a local Rotary club. “I can’t decide what I am. You said I work like a headmaster. Is your headmaster here? What’s he like?” “He’s kind and sweet,” the student said. Sweet side-step. “I am a taskmaster. I work a lot and get work done…If your headmaster is nice and you see me like that then I am thankful,” Modi said. 3:45 pm: Dream of doing something, not being something, says Modi Question 3: Did you ever think you would be PM and would be world famous? Never, says Modi. Modi said he hailed from a very common background and hadn’t even contested for the class monitor’s post.  Irani seems to be providing the laughter track for his wit. “You should dream but not of becoming something, but of doing something,” Modi said. He said people are unable to take the joy from what they achieve because they dreamt of becoming something rather than what they would like to do. “Plan to do something. If you become something than take pleasure from it,” he said. Applause. 15:40 pm: Life hasn’t changed much since becoming PM, says Modi Question 1: How much has your life changed since become PM? “Haven’t got much time to see Delhi yet. But I get what you’re asking. There isn’t any major difference. There are difference in responsibilities of a CM and PM but the work ethic stays the same,” he said. Modi said he had to be more conscious of what he said in order to ensure he didn’t say anything that harmed the nation.  But it’s been a smooth journey so far he said. Question 2: Who influenced you more:education or experiences? The Prime Minister said it was tricky but used it to talk about the importance of teachers and education. “If you’re education isn’t right then you could learn the wrong things from experiences,” he said. So education and experience have had equal importance, he says. 15:35 pm: There should be masti in your lives, Modi tells students “How many of you sweat at least four times a day?” he asked. No hands went up. It is an airconditioned hall, after all. “One should play and sweat and one’s life shouldn’t be bogged down by studies only,” he said, adding that children shouldn’t restrict themselves to computers and studies after school. “This masti should be there in your lives,” he said Some teachers may have broken out into a sweat. He told students to stay away from ‘Google guru’ which gives information but doesn’t give knowledge and told them to read biographies in order to get a good grasp of history. The Prime Minister then said that he would take questions from the children and told them to be unrestrained in their questions. 15:25 pm: Modi has auditorium audience in palm, seems to have little pull in Kolkata The Prime Minister’s speaking about the importance of teachers and spoke on how teachers were once the final word in villages but it had since changed. He threw in a saying from China and anecdotes from Japan just to give it wider context and he seems to have his teenage audience in the auditorium his palm for now. But on CNN-IBN there’s a second panel showing a school in Kolkata who seem to be doing pretty much everything but listening to the speech. Surely the Mamata factor.  On Times Now, kids can be seen at least listening. The Prime Minister is talking about making education a national mission and wants engineers and other professionals to come in and help teach. “We should have an emphasis on what our national character should be. We can all do it together and we should,” Modi said. 3:20 pm: Important to debate the importance of teachers in society, says Modi After three earnest schoolchildren who spoke about the history of the day, it was the turn of the Prime Minister who said it was an honour that he was able to talk to school children. He said there wasn’t much celebration of Teachers’ Day in many schools. “It is important that we state clearly the importance of teachers in society. Until we accept this importance, there won’t be pride in teachers nor will we be able to reform the future generation through them,” Modi said. He said there needed to be debated why very accomplished students didn’t want to be teachers and said we would all have to debate it. Nothing scintillating yet, but it’s not unusual. 3:10 pm: Modi puts the kids before him A brief history on Teachers’ Day and then some students who spoke about the importance of the day. One feels transported back to school assembly day, only there’s no one to pass chits to. While one stuck to the history of the day, the next one put in some words of praise for the Prime Minister as well. Modi managed to maintain a poker face. 3:05 pm: Modi arrives to make speech, Irani kicks off event with anecdote The Prime Minister arrived and was in typical fashion was felicitated by HRD minister Smriti Irani who spoke first. Calling teachers the bridge between the past and the future, Irani said that the move was to honour teachers and thanked the Prime Minister for taking the time out to speak with them. The PM meanwhile sips on water and waited even as Irani narrated an anecdote to thank teachers for their contribution. 2:45 pm: PM’s address set to begin soon What will the Prime Minister talk about? Nation building and his government may just figure but if an Economic Times report is to be believed it would also include homilies about general things. In about 5 minutes we’ll know. Students are assembled across assembly halls, classrooms and in some cases other people’s homes to watch and hear the Prime Minister live. 10:00 am: Modi to address kids, Twitter titters After addressing the nation’s top teachers yesterday, the Prime Minister is set to make his mega address to the school going children on the occasion of Teachers’ Day. While there been absolutely no hint about what he’s expected to talk about, school students in most states will be hearing the prime minister’s speech either in their schools or televisions. In Jammu and Kashmir flash floods and heavy rains will prevent the Prime Minister’s speech while in West Bengal and Haryana, the state governments have already put their foot down and said that it won’t be compulsory for schools to ensure that children view the Prime Minister’s address. [caption id=“attachment_1698395” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Modi addressing teachers on 4 September. PTI[/caption] However, in other states, there will no escape for students where in some cases roll call will be taken to ensure that teachers and children don’t miss the address. Twitter meanwhile has been having a field day with the issue with #ModiExam being one of the prominent tags yesterday thanks to a  Noida school’s decision to hold a test for students after the speech. Here are some examples:

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