NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged teachers to “step beyond textbooks” to ensure that children do not lose out on their childhood.The prime minister’s message came during his interaction with recipients of the National Teachers’ Awards at his residence on Friday, a day ahead of Teachers’ Day, which commemorates the birth anniversary of former President and renowned educationist Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.“We need to step outside of books and the syllabus much more than before and get into the lives of children. Childhood shouldn’t be allowed to die. And the biggest task of keeping childhood alive can be done by a teacher. It’s the teacher’s job to ensure the child within remains,” he said.To drive home his point, PM Modi cited growing screen addiction among children, particularly their increasing dependence on video games. He also flagged drug consumption as a concern, saying the problem was no longer confined to universities or major cities.“Screen time has now become a form of addiction. A thought occurs to me: if a child begins to take a keen interest in sports, and by sports, I don’t mean video games but actually playing on the field. Then slowly, they can come out of it. And we should make it a habit to involve kids as much as possible in creativity, and we should design some programmes for that,” the prime minister said.
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“Now take the case of drugs. It’s not just in big cities or universities anymore, nobody even knows what it is; someone just comes and gives it. Teachers should watch for behavioural changes in children,” he added.Saturday marks the 138th birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who also served as Vice President of India. Later in the day, PM Modi will visit Shri Ram College of Commerce, which is celebrating its centenary.
