The surreal silence of the empty New Sion BMC Secondary school came alive around 2pm when students started to gather to sit in front of a TV. Students were called in on Friday afternoon just to listen to prime minister Narender Modi's Teacher's Day speech.
Students from class I to 10 attended the screening. Students were made to sit in a corridor, where a TV was set up. They anxiously waited for the speech to begin while they munched on their snacks. The PM's address began on time at 3pm and ended around 4.45pm.
Studentspeak
Nitin Karotiya, class 9, said, "It was nice to see the PM addressing the student. I liked the fact that he wants to focus on building toilets in school, to reduce the dropout rate of girls."
Some were just happy for the fact that the prime minister was addressing students. Raziya Sheikh, class 10 student said, "I was very excited from day one, I think this is the first time a PM is addressing students on Teacher's day."
What teacher's said?
Unlike the students, teachers had a mix reaction to Modi's speech. Nanda Gaikwad, principal, New Sion BMC school, said, "The program was a success but unfortunately we were unable to get all our students under one roof because of the ongoing holiday."
Many teachers believed that Modi didn't not address the issues that effect the teachers. Rajesh Pandey, vice president, teacher's democratic front, said, "He failed to address teachers' problems or discussed the kind of inconvenience they face. When a teacher falls ill, his/her insurance is not cleared by the education department. The PM even spoke about sports but many city schools don't even have playgrounds."
Meanwhile, some of the private schools recorded the speech to make the students listen once the school reopens.
But by the end of the day, all were happy and applauded Modi's efforts. Early Childhood Association, president, Swati Popat Vats, said, "Let's celebrate, the prime minister addressed our Teachers on Teacher's Day. We must keep aside all controversies and complaints about his address, we need to applaud his efforts. This will definitely have an impact on how parents, students, society views and respects teachers."
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