Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2026: The ninth edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) 2026 was formally initiated on Friday as the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi engaged in a dialogue with students, teachers, and parents across the country via virtual means. This year's event, which is now an annual affair, aims to provide a boost to students in the run-up to the board examinations across the nation by covering aspects such as exam preparation, overcoming exam anxiety, effective time management, and gaining confidence.
Opening the session, PM Modi reminded students that learning does not end at any stage of life. “This is a lifelong journey. Even after becoming the Prime Minister, someone or the other still teaches me how to do my work,” he said, encouraging students to remain open to learning at every step.
Chapter 1: Your Style, Your Pace
The first chapter of PPC 2026, titled “Your Style, Your Pace,” centred on understanding individual learning styles and avoiding unhealthy comparisons. PM Modi stressed that every student learns differently and that teachers must recognise this diversity. He noted that teachers should guide students while staying just a step ahead, not too far, and not too close, so that learning remains effective and confidence is not shaken.
Responding to a student from Gujarat who spoke about feeling confused by conflicting advice from parents and teachers on how to study, PM Modi said this experience is universal. “This happens to everyone, even to me,” he remarked. He explained that some people study best in the morning, while others perform better at night or at different hours. The key, he said, is to first understand and trust one’s own learning pattern, while selectively adopting advice that genuinely helps improvement.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also cautioned students in their assessment not to measure their progress relative to others, as they should have confidence in their own pace and manner of studying.
Preparation with purpose
In Chapter 3: Preparation with Purpose, PM Modi discussed a question that is commonly perplexing for students: is it marks or skills that are more important? He said both are important and must be balanced. “There are two kinds of skills, life skills and professional skills. One should focus on both,” he said, adding that education should prepare students not just for exams, but for life beyond classrooms.
The wrong way to prepare for board exams
PM Modi also flagged what he called the wrong approach to board exam preparation, pointing out that excessive focus on marks can narrow learning. He observed that many teachers tend to emphasise only topics likely to fetch higher scores, while a good teacher ensures holistic understanding.
He warned students against over-dependence on shortcuts such as “sure-shot” guidebooks, lists of important questions, and blindly solving previous years’ papers without understanding concepts. True learning, he said, comes from curiosity, clarity and consistent effort rather than exam-oriented cramming.
As Pariksha Pe Charcha 2026 continues, the Prime Minister’s messages reinforced the programme’s core idea, exams are important, but they should not come at the cost of mental well-being, confidence or meaningful learning.
