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CBSE starts counselling for board exams
In an
attempt to address anxieties of students and parents, the Central
Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will start from Wednesday the
first phase of counselling for those appearing for board
examinations this year.
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New Delhi: It's that
time of the year when tension runs high, anxiety grips the minds
of parents and students who are concerned about just one thing --
board exams! But help is just a call away as many helpline numbers
are active to overcome exam stress.
"The CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) started its
helpline Feb 1 to help students deal with anxiety and syllabus
issues, suggest time management techniques and provide career
guidance," Rama Sharma, spokesperson of the exam controlling body,
told IANS.
"It is our first phase of counselling for those appearing for
board examinations this year," she added. The exams begin in March
and end mid-April.
"There is a make or break junction synonymous with board exams.
Students need to make realistic evaluation of the situation. We
make them understand that exams are not the end but just another
milestone in their lives," Sharma said.
The helpline can be accessed at toll-free number 1800-180-3456
between 8 a.m. and midnight. The number will be opertional till
April 16.
"The helpline will resume when the results are out. In the first
phase, we will help students during the preparations and in the
second phase we will counsel students who feel low after not
scoring well," the spokesperson said.
According to psychologists, soaring expectations, the urge to
secure a place in college or even getting the choice of stream in
school lead to stress in students. But the widening gap between
parents and children adds most to the pressure.
"Children need an outlet where they take their problems," Sandeep
Vohra, consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Apollo
Hospital, told IANS.
"When stress levels go beyond the child's endurance, they become
non-communicative, lose interest in everything and start
withdrawing from family and social life. Students may consider
suicide an easier option than facing their parents and relatives
after failure," he added.
According to statistics by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB),
2,479 students committed suicide due to failure in 2010. Of them,
2,057 were in the 15-29 age group. The remaining students were out
of this range.
Experts feel it is important for parents to identify the
behavioural changes their child is going through and consult a
counsellor if the child is withdrawing or hesitating from
confiding in.
It is not just the CBSE helpline that is a saviour for students.
NGOs such as Snehi and Aasra have also been running exam helplines
for students in distress.
"Students come to us when other alternatives do not work. We are
not critical or judgemental," said Johnson Thomas, director of the
Mumbai-based helpline Aasra.
"We just try to get them talking about their issues and empower
them to take positive decisions which enrich their lives, rather
than doing anything reckless," he added.
While Aasra's 24X7 helpline can be reached at 91-22-27546669,
Snehi runs Disha exam helpline on the number 011-65978181. Disha
is active from Feb 1 till March 3.
"In 2011, we attended 1,582 calls related to exams stress. Out of
these 1,403 callers were students who were psychologically
distressed and emotionally perturbed," Snehi director Abdul Mabood
said.
"We also received calls from 179 parents and relatives of students
and helped them to handle situational stress," he added
School principals echo the opinion of sensitising parents, a key
to deal with emotional turmoil that students could get into during
this time.
Said Madhulika Sen, principal of Tagore International, Vasant
Vihar, south Delhi: "Parental pressure is a major reason for exam
stress. Therefore, we also counsel parents of Class 12 students.
We tell them that pressurising the child to perform better will
only worsen things."
(Shikha Nehra
can be contacted at shikhanehra92@gmail.com)
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