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The speech and interaction with children, nearly two hours long, provided an insight into Modi’s work ethics, his views on politics as a career, his settling into the role of prime minister, his government’s plans for Digital India and prioritising education of girls, as well as on employment generation, skill development and climate change.
The speech, which coincided with the new government’s 100 days in office, was a platform to answer critics who had attacked Modi on several fronts, including his suitability for the PM’s post. The Opposition had wondered whether the PM’s “mandatory” September 5 speech was an attempt to “reach out to future voters”, as children from standards VI to XII had been directed by the human resource development ministry to hear the speech.
During his address, Modi also managed to tickle the funny bone of students by narrating his pranks as a child.
Emphasising the need to restore the lost glory of the teaching profession, as well as teachers, he said it was vital to probe why the youth didn’t choose to be teachers. Comparing India with Japan, the prime minister said there was a need to emulate Japanese discipline and humility. Technology and a scientific temperament were the two other crucial components of his vision for education. “I don't consider politics a profession. It is a form of service which stems from a deep sense of belonging,” he said.
Much in the manner of his Independence Day address, when he exhorted members of Parliament to adopt villages, Modi urged eminent people to take time out to teach, at least a period a week, to address the lack of teachers in the country.
He advised students to “work hard, play hard and sweat a lot, at least four times a day. Don’t be glued to books all day”. Answering his detractors, the prime minister said, “Yes, I am a taskmaster. And, it is not that I don’t work hard myself.” He pointed to how he had told bureaucrats from the ramparts of the Red Fort, “If you work 12 hours, I will work 13. I demand work on fixed deadlines.”
Answering a question from a schoolgirl in remote Bastar, he made it a point to praise Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, from the Bharatiya Janata Party, for his achievements in promoting education of girls.
The prime minister seemed to respond to a volley of criticism that came his way. Attacked by critics and the media for building a “personality cult”, as well as for his centralising tendencies, Modi, almost in response, said, “I never thought (that I would become prime minister). I didn’t even run for class monitor in school.”
If there was any doubt he was looking at a decade in office, his reply to a schoolboy from Imphal dispelled that. Asked how he should prepare to be prime minister, the boy was told, “Prepare for the 2024 elections and call me for your swearing-in ceremony.”
CONCERNS APLENTY
The Prime Minister’s speech on Teachers’ Day failed to address the key issues plaguing the country's education system. At the national level, only half of all children can recognise letters according to the Annual Status of Education Report by Pratham. In the public school system, despite the abysmal learning standards, permanent teachers are paid much higher than private schools. According to a study, private school teachers earn less than a fifth of the salary regular public school teachers earn. The median salary, according to the study, for a regular government school teacher in a state such as Andhra Pradesh is Rs 7,500 a month, while that for private school teachers is less than Rs 1,000.
Modi addresses students on Teacher's Day
