Education and skills are twins and inseparable, PM Modi tells students

Education and skills are inseparable, like twins, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told exam-bound students during a ‘Pariksha pe Charcha’ (PPC) interaction in New Delhi on Friday (February 6, 2026).

Mr. Modi spoke with students from across the country at his residence during the ninth edition of the event, taking questions about challenges in balancing study patterns, preparations for board exams and competitive exams among others.

PPC is the Prime Minister’s brainchild through which he interacts with students and allays their fears about examinations. In its first episode, he spoke with students from cities such as Devmogra, Coimbatore, Raipur and Guwahati.

Responding to a question from a student from Telangana on technology and robotics, the Prime Minister said that education and skilling are like “twins, inseparable”. He said maintaining a balance between the two was as essential as a balance between eating and sleeping. Mr. Modi said there were life skills such as discipline, confidence and adaptability that must be “fully achieved”, but professional skills have no such limits.

“Professional skills require continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies even at age 40, as advancements in medicine and other fields demand constant updating,” he said.

The interaction followed the Central government’s renewed push to synergise education, skilling and employment, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing a committee on education, employment and entrepreneurship.

The Prime Minister was seen giving gamochas (cotton towels)from Assam to visiting students. He explained their significance in Assamese culture and spoke of how it was a symbol of women’s empowerment, citing stories of the women who weave the towels. He shared some light moments with students who recited poems and sang songs they had composed. A student played a short Carnatic composition on the flute.