PM Modi Asks Teachers To Help Students Stay Away From Drugs, Cut Down Screen Time
Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged National Award-winning teachers to help students deal with challenges such as excessive screen time and drug abuse. He also encouraged teachers to promote sports, creativity and activities beyond textbooks to keep children engaged.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while interacting with 82 National Award-winning teachers ahead of Teacher’s Day 2026, spoke about some of the challenges faced by students today, including excessive screen time and drug abuse. He urged teachers to remain closely involved in children’s lives and help them develop healthier habits through sports, creativity and other activities.
During the interaction, PM Modi described excessive screen use among children as “a kind of addiction”. He suggested that teachers and schools should encourage students to participate in outdoor sports and creative activities instead of spending too much time on screens.
Elaborating on the role of sports and creativity in helping children reduce screen time, PM Modi said:
“Either that child will start taking a lot of 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,” he said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the growing concern around drug abuse among students and asked teachers to be watchful of changes in children’s behaviour. He noted that the problem is no longer limited to big cities or universities.
Speaking about how easily children can come into contact with drugs, PM Modi said:
“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,” he said, urging teachers to watch for behavioural changes in children.
The interaction also included lighter moments. One teacher spoke about teaching students how to conduct interviews in an innovative manner. PM Modi responded by joking that the students might also be using those skills at home while questioning their parents.
“They must be interviewing their parents at home too. Like, ‘Why did you cook this? Why did you cook it this way? Who made this decision? How much was spent on the budget?’” he quipped.
#TeachersDay is about appreciating the strong contribution of teachers to our society. It is also a day to pay homage to Dr. S. Radhakrishnan.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 5, 2026
Here is what happened when the National Teachers' Awards winners were invited to 7, LKM yesterday…. pic.twitter.com/LtXTvHiQoQ
The teacher laughed and added, “Yes, sir. And now, just for fun, all the kids in my school want to be reporters.”
Another teacher, who works with students on public speaking, was asked by PM Modi what advice she would give to someone wanting to become a good orator.
“If I were your student and wanted to become a skilled orator, what tips would you give me? What should I do?” he asked.
The teacher advised him to focus on confidence and practice. She said:
“First of all, you need to be confident. Confidence comes through a lot of practice,” she said, only to admit moments later that she was feeling nervous herself.
She then gave a humorous response to the Prime Minister’s presence: “Sorry, sir… even I was a bit nervous myself, seeing your aura,” she said, drawing a smile from the Prime Minister.
PM Modi responded: “So, you mean to say that to be a public speaker, one shouldn’t have an aura?”
The teacher quickly clarified: “No, one should have it. Yours is already there, sir.”
PM Modi then joked: “Then people won’t listen! They will just keep looking at your aura.”
The teacher added with a smile: “They could just keep looking at you, sir.”
Towards the end of the interaction, PM Modi stressed that teachers need to play a role beyond classroom teaching and textbooks. He said education should also focus on children’s overall development and preserving their childhood.
“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, extending his wishes to the awardees.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu conferred the National Teachers Awards on 48 school teachers at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Saturday. The awardees were selected through a three-stage selection process conducted at the district, state and national levels.
