PM Modi calls on teachers to tackle drug abuse among students, curb excessive screen time
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged teachers to remain vigilant about drug addiction among students and help children reduce excessive screen time by encouraging sports, physical activities and creative pursuits.
Modi made the remarks while interacting with national award-winning teachers on Friday, on the eve of Teachers' Day. A video of the interaction at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence was released on Saturday.
‘Keep childhood alive’
Modi asked teachers to look beyond academic performance and pay close attention to students' behaviour and everyday lives.
He urged teachers to “keep childhood alive” by nurturing children's natural curiosity and encouraging them to explore and learn beyond textbooks and syllabuses.
“You should not allow the childhood of a student to die,” he said, describing this as one of the biggest contributions teachers can make to students' lives.
The prime minister also encouraged teachers to adopt creative approaches to make classroom learning more engaging.
Teachers asked to watch for drug abuse
Modi said teachers have an increasingly important role in children's lives as joint family structures become less common.
Referring to drug addiction, he said the problem can be difficult to identify in some large cities and universities, where it may not always be clear who is supplying drugs or who is being affected.
He urged teachers to take the initiative in creating awareness and to closely observe any changes in students' behaviour.Teachers’ Day Also Also read | Teachers’ Day Special: His greatest wealth is not money but the students who still call him 'Asan'
Sports to counter excessive screen time
Modi also highlighted excessive screen time as a growing concern among students.
He asked teachers to speak to parents about how much time their children spend on mobile phones and whether they continue using devices late into the night.
According to Modi, encouraging children to take part in sports, physical games and creative activities can help reduce screen time naturally.
He also stressed the importance of taking children beyond the classroom and connecting education with real-world skills and different forms of work, in line with the National Education Policy.
Modi highlights teachers' wider role
The prime minister said children share a basic sense of curiosity and that teachers can make a significant contribution by nurturing and channelising it.
He also praised a teacher who spoke about raising awareness of breast cancer among women in her community. Modi recalled a breast cancer awareness campaign launched in Varanasi and said more women are now coming forward for screening, including in an initiative that set a Guinness World Record.
Also read | Curious questions, notes and no phones: Kerala CM, ministers become students on Teachers’ Day eve
82 teachers selected for National Awards
This year, 82 teachers and educators have been selected for the National Teachers Awards across three departments.
The selection includes 48 teachers from the Department of School Education and Literacy, 21 teachers and faculty members from higher educational institutions and polytechnics, and 13 skill trainers from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.