Er. Prabhat Kishore
Examinations are often a source of stress for students and their families. This is a common challenge faced by learners of all ages, especially teenagers preparing for significant milestones such as board or competitive exams. The intense focus on academic performance, coupled with expectations from society and family, often leads to stress, anxiety, and depression, impacting mental health.
To transform the narrative of exam-related stress, Pariksha Pe Charcha (PPC) was initiated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 16 February 2018 at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi. This is the Prime Minister’s annual interactive event, in which students, teachers, and parents from across the country and abroad join him to discuss exam stress and celebrate examinations as an Utsav and an integral part of life. The Prime Minister shares valuable tips on topics such as board and entrance examinations, stress management, personal growth, and career ambitions.
Pariksha Pe Charcha is the Prime Minister’s masterclass on facing exams. It opens space for honest conversations on preparation, pressure, and purpose. The event emphasises innovative approaches to tackle exam-related anxiety, fostering a celebratory attitude toward learning and life. Society, teachers, and parents must collaborate to create an environment where students can thrive without undue stress. With the right approach, learners can beat exam pressure and unleash their full potential.
The PPC programme has witnessed extraordinary growth since its launch in 2018. The first edition of PPC (16 February 2018) had 22,000 participants; the second edition (29 January 2019) recorded 1.03 lakh participants; the third edition (20 January 2020) saw 2.63 lakh registrations; the fourth edition (7 April 2021), conducted virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, witnessed 14.02 lakh registrations including 10.5 lakh students, 2.6 lakh teachers and 92,000 parents.
The fifth edition (1 April 2022) recorded 15.73 lakh registrations—comprising 12.12 lakh students, 2.71 lakh teachers and 90,000 parents—with 12,03,553 actual participants. The sixth edition (27 January 2023) registered 38.79 lakh enrolments, including 31.24 lakh students, 5.60 lakh teachers and 1.95 lakh parents, while 8,48,991 participated or viewed the event live.
The seventh edition (29 January 2024) saw 2.2624 crore registrations, including 2.0562 crore students, 14.93 lakh teachers and 5.69 lakh parents. The eighth edition (10 February 2025) recorded 3,56,68,817 registrations, creating history in the education sector worldwide.
In 2025, PPC 8.0 set a remarkable Guinness World Record as students from 245 countries, teachers from 153 countries and parents from 149 countries participated in the event, reflecting its immense popularity and relevance.
Over the years, PPC has evolved into an opportunity to transform exam-related stress into positive energy. By addressing real questions and offering actionable solutions, the Prime Minister has bridged the gap between policy and practice, empowering students to thrive under pressure. The programme’s inclusivity, digital reach, and innovative approach ensure its continued success as a cornerstone of student engagement in Bharat. With each passing year, PPC reinforces the message that examinations are not the end, but a beginning.
The ninth edition of PPC is scheduled to be held on 6 February 2026. To select participants, an online Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) competition was conducted on the MyGov portal from 1 December 2025 to 11 January 2026 for students of Classes VI to XII, teachers and parents. Students from all types of management schools—government schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas, Sainik Schools, Eklavya Model Residential Schools and CBSE schools—participated in the initiative.
The competition serves as the mode through which students, teachers and parents are invited to the PPC programme. The themes include “Make Exams a Celebration,” “Contribution of Our Freedom Fighters,” “Save the Environment,” and “Clean India.” Selected questions, shortlisted by NCERT, will feature in the programme. Chosen students will get an opportunity to directly interact with the Prime Minister during the event. Every participant will receive a specially designed certificate, while 2,500 participants will receive PPC kits from the Ministry of Education. Ten Exam Warriors will also get a chance to visit the Prime Minister’s residence.
High-enrolment States aimed to register at least 50 per cent of students from Classes VI to XII, while other States, Union Territories and Autonomous Bodies set targets of 100 per cent registration. All teachers of Classes VI to XII were also reached out to.
People must join hands in celebrating the Utsav of examinations as envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, in order to make learning more joyful and meaningful for future nation-builders. Along with students, society, families and teachers must place examinations in the right perspective rather than turning them into life-and-death situations burdened by undue pressure.
Pariksha Pe Charcha is an interactive initiative of the Prime Minister that provides a vibrant platform for students, teachers and parents to engage on examinations, stress management and related aspects of life, with the aim of transforming exam-related stress into a celebration of learning. Conducted annually ahead of board and competitive examination seasons, it opens space for honest dialogue around the three Ps—Preparation, Pressure and Purpose.
PPC has evolved into a global event. For PPC 9.0, 4,17,56,407 students, 24,77,885 teachers and 6,12,716 parents from Bharat registered themselves, while 69,874 students from 245 countries, 54,448 teachers from 171 countries and 2,135 parents from 170 countries also enrolled to be part of the programme. PPC 9.0 has surpassed last year’s Guinness record with 4,49,24,465 online registrations.
Among parents, 98,553 were from Class VI, 87,731 from Class VII, 93,714 from Class VIII, 1,00,940 from Class IX, 97,711 from Class X, 66,530 from Class XI and 69,672 from Class XII. Of these, 64.33 per cent were male and 35.59 per cent female.
Among teachers, registrations included 2,01,261 from the 18–25 age group, 6,16,991 from 25–35, 8,06,605 from 35–45, 6,27,302 from 45–55 and 2,29,124 from 55–65 years. Of them, 48.21 per cent were male and 51.79 per cent female.
Of total student registrations, 18.83 per cent were self-registered while 81.17 per cent were registered through teachers. Boys constituted 48.81 per cent and girls 51.16 per cent, reflecting increasing women empowerment in a changing Bharat.
Age-wise participation stood as: below 12 years—59,80,242; 12–14 years—1,22,40,569; 14–16 years—1,29,33,133; 16–18 years—86,47,327; 18–20 years—17,56,772; and above 20 years—2,68,237 students.
Class-wise registration was: Class VI—60,63,993; VII—62,41,224; VIII—64,28,028; IX—72,81,112; X—67,45,084; XI—46,04,336; and XII—44,62,503.
Uttar Pradesh stood first in overall and student registrations, Bihar ranked second overall and first in teacher registrations, while Chhattisgarh led in parent registrations.
As part of the annual run-up to PPC, a series of student-centric engagements were organised from 12 January (National Youth Day—Swami Vivekananda Jayanti) to 23 January 2026 (Parakram Diwas—Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti). Activities included student runs for self-reliance, indigenous games, yoga and meditation sessions, poetry, quizzes, street plays, poster-making, memes and student-anchor interactions.
Altogether, 36 students—one from each State and Union Territory—were selected to interact with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister’s interaction was scheduled to be broadcast on AIR on 6 February 2026 at 10:00 a.m.
Pariksha Pe Charcha has evolved into a nationwide Jan Andolan, encouraging youth to approach examinations with confidence and positivity and celebrate the season as an Utsav.
