Students, and their families, on the edge ahead of board exams

A file picture of students before the SSC exam. Pic/Bipin Kokate

It is not just the students appearing for the board examinations two months away, but their families, too, who are stressed. Owing to the pandemic and a complete new normal of online learning, the stress related to board exams is much higher this year. Many doubts have also crept into their minds. This anxiety around board exams was revealed as counsellors appointed by the Maharashtra government have started receiving frantic calls for help.

A file picture of students before the HSC exam. Pic/Bipin Kokate

I haven't attended a single day of school this entire academic year and now have to appear for the SSC exam in two months. I am not confident. What do I do?" "What if my child takes a gap because he is not prepared? Will this gap of academic year affect his overall education?" - calls with such queries by students of both stds X and XII and parents are constantly buzzing the phones of counselors appointed by the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to help board exams aspirants deal with the pressure. While the counselors were initially appointed to give career guidance, they have been providing mental support and reducing students' stress in this difficult time. The SCERT has issued a list of contact numbers of 426 counselors across Maharashtra. Of these 113 are from Mumbai and Thane and were divided in different areas to cater to students from these regions.

Amir Ansari, counsellor and teacher

"This year, the most common observation is that it is not just the student, but his/her entire family that is under stress. While children are wondering if they will be able to successfully complete the exam with no practice, for parents the worries are about safety and future in these uncertain times. With no regular classes, many students lack the confidence regarding their preparedness for exam. Around the board exam year, students and parents also plan what they want to pursue after. But this specific year, they see the plans failing and so anxiety is inevitable," said Vijaysinh Devadkar, a teacher from a school in Dadar. He is among the counselors on call appointed for students. All these teachers are trained under the state government's programme to provide career counseling to students and many of them have been working as counselors for board exam students for some years. The experience has allowed these teachers to understand the difference in calls this year along with identifying the changed pattern and levels of stress in children and parents.

Swapna Shinde, a counsellor and teacher

Another counsellor, Amir Ansari, a teacher from a Jogeshwari school said, "While there are many technical queries about those in syllabus, nature of the question paper with changes in syllabus, etc; many calls express concerns about whether the child is prepared for the exam. Clearly online learning has failed to provide that touch of classroom teaching. Many from Mumbai also feel that they will lag behind now as schools in other parts of the state have reopened."

There is additional stress for std XII students due to different entrance exams that they are preparing for. "These entrance exams determine the future course of academics for these children and so hold great importance. The students are worried that they are completely unprepared for them as preparation for them hasn't been the same as every year," said Swapna Shinde, a teacher from a Ghatkopar school who is also on the list of counsellors.

113
No. of counsellors in Mumbai and Thane