27 May,2015 06:31 AM IST | | Shreya Bhandary
Since the helpline will begin functioning only today, the day of the HSC and CBSE Std X results, anxious students and parents had to call other city helplines
With two results HSC as well as CBSE Std X to be released today, helpline numbers across the city received numerous calls from anxious students and parents.
Counsellors at Vandevala foundation. Its executive director said students worry that after the amount of money their parents spend on their education, they can't let them down. File pic
With the helpline numbers made public by the divisional state board slated to be functional only from today, many students were forced to pose their queries to these other voluntary helpline services functional in the city. "Before the results, students will only have questions regarding the date of results, which has already been announced.
So helpline numbers will be functional from today, even before the result is announced," said Laxmikant Pande, Mumbai divisional board chairman. He added that both numbers will then be available for students everyday (except Sundays) till the SSC results are announced. HSC results will be announced today at 1 pm on www.mahresult.nic.in.
When mid-day spoke to counsellors at the state board helpline, they said they feel helpless when students pose questions related to future prospects. "Earlier, students would only call to ask us about the procedure to follow for re-evaluation of papers, or for those who fail in one or more subjects.
Now students ask about different courses available after SSC or HSC, which we are not aware of," said one of the counsellors. He added that they usually divert these calls to other professional counsellors practicing privately, who are also part of the state board helpline panel.
Other helplines
With little help coming from the state board helpline numbers, many students ended up calling other voluntary helpline numbers functioning in the city. Aastha Chrysalis, a counselling centre, received over 25 calls on Tuesday itself, from worried students as well as parents. "Helpline numbers can only give temporary relief. Schools and colleges need to play a bigger role in this system.
Regular counselling on career options should be given by schools/colleges so that students don't feel so lost during the results, as they are anyway anxious about their marks," said Malini Shah, co-founder and senior counsellor at Aastha Chrysalis.
The examinations and results season attracts the maximum number of calls to institutions such as the Vandrevala Foundation helpline, which is functional 24/7. These calls range from worries about not scoring well to not living up to their parents' expectations. "The number one worry for most students is the urge to be the best in this competition, and score well.
At the same time, they are worried that after the amount of money their parents spend on their education, they can't let them down," said Dr Arun John, executive director, Vandrevala Foundation. He added that many students also worry their scores are not good enough to get them through to a good college or one of their choice. "The number one rule we share with every student is to stop self assessment. Results season is always an anxious period for most," he added.
