This Teachers’ Day was extra special for many, as they got to see a different side of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The students, during the one-hour-forty minute live webcast and telecast programme, got to hear interesting stories about his journey from Gandhinagar to New Delhi, besides his views on politics.
Many schools in Bangalore went all out to make arrangements to ensure that the children got to listen to Mr. Modi. Some went to the extent of organising lunch, snacks and even tweaked school timings so that there was no hurdle to watching the Prime Minister ‘live’.
Big screens
Children made a special occasion of it as giant LED screens were placed in auditoria, while others watched the talk on laptops. They were particularly excited as they heard anecdotes about Mr. Modi’s childhood.
Akshata C., an eighth standard student at Gopalan National School, said she found Mr. Modi “friendly and speaking from the heart”. Her school, which usually starts at 8.30 a.m., shifted the timing to 10 a.m. so that children could stay longer. “We normally see the Prime Minister only in news channels. But this interactive session was lively,” she said. However, the only disappointment for students was that Karnataka was not one of the States where the interactive session was held. Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin said only a few States were chosen for interactions. Anantha Padamanabhan, principal, Kendriya Vidalaya, M.G. Railway Colony, said while the senior students enjoyed the session, students from primary section were unable to understand the talk and the interaction. “I only wished that he could have picked questions from other centres as well,” he said.
Many schools, however, did not screen the programme as it was not mandatory. Some schools that had tests and exams recorded the programme and have decided to screen it at a later date.
More work for teachers
Working hours for teachers were stretched for a few hours on Teachers’ Day, with them being given the responsibility of making arrangements for screening the talk and interactive session. “With more work for us today, it hardly feels like our special day,” a teacher said.
Although most schools did not experience technical glitches, there were minor interruptions caused during buffering.
(The Hindu)
