Exam fears spark calls to helplines

Exam blues are here again and the fear has struck students so much that helplines across the city are busy counselling the nervous ones.

One such helpline — Akshaya Life Skills (ALS) — is now receiving more than 15 calls every day, thrice the number it usually receives. Counsellors address the students’ concern about stress in their lives. Too many expectations from parents, teachers and relatives are found to be the biggest burden.

“Many students call us particularly from government and government-aided schools, who worry about how to manage their part-time jobs along with studies and exams. Others worry about how to deal with the subjects they are weak in,” said Praveen UM, manager trainee, ALS.

Exam-related calls were at the peak during February. “We have students calling in now, but it is not as much as last month. They ask how they should prepare and go about the exams. However, a few get very emotional; most of them are calm and composed, and only need a bit of counselling,” said Gunasheela, staff at the Association of People for Social Action Childline.

Many callers assume that they would be helped in overcoming their problems. Some students call in worrying if they would get their hall ticket. “We tell them that we will call the school/college and help them out. Some students are so worried that we have to call the school or college, so that they are put at ease. Otherwise, they will stop attending classes,” said Nagasimha G Rao, nodal supervisor of Childline.

There have been instances when worried students call in informing about names being misspelt on the hall ticket. Some also want to know how to study and get things corrected. “Then we send our Master of Social Work students to help them,” said Rao.

“It is the high stress that makes students call in. They are worried about scoring less marks and how that will impact their future,” said Gnanaprakash, coordinator, Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota Childline, adding that they receive at least six calls everyday.

With students over-stressed, many have welcomed the decision by the Central Board of Secondary Education to make examinations optional at class 10 level. “The state boards and ICSE should give this a thought. Students at the class 10 level are not ready to face the exams. By the time they are 18, they are better emotionally prepared,” Mallika Sen, principal, Inventure Academy said.