PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
To address the board exam-related stress issue involving the students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has launched a tele-helpline for psychological counselling. The helpline number- 1800118004- started operating on January 6 and will continue until June 1.
Speaking of this matter, CBSE counsellor and neuropsychologist, Dr Sona Kaushal Gupta said that anxiety and stress levels among students tend to increase as board examinations approach, which can hinder their ability to study effectively. “In order to help alleviate this anxiety, the CBSE has introduced this tele-helpline,” she said.
According to Gupta, the helpline has already received calls from the stress-affected students. “Currently, there are seven to eight calls each day with the students telling about stress and anxiety about various issues. Common queries involve completing the syllabus for board examinations, revision problems and results among other related concerns. These are contributing to their stress,” she said and added that heightened anxiety could lead to negative effects like forgetting what they have learned, making silly mistakes, losing appetite and having erratic sleep patterns.
She advised the students to focus on creating a study timetable instead of fixating on results and other worries. “Parents should refrain from unnecessarily scolding their wards during this revision period; instead, they should encourage them to revise calmly, with full concentration. The students on their part should concentrate on their revision using NCERT textbooks which are sufficient for exam preparation, rather than seeking additional books. Solving previous years’ question papers can also be beneficial,” she said.
Gupta suggested that the students maintain a regular sleep cycle, take adequate rest at night and study with a fresh mind during the day.
Notably, the tele-helpline is available for both Class X and Class XII board examination students and can be reached daily until 5 PM.
