The Maharashtra Board has appointed a total of 16 counsellors who have been resolving panicked and anxious queries ahead of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and State Secondary Certificate( SSC) boards, the former beginning from February 10, while the latter examinations start 10 days later (February 20). The incoming calls include questions like , “What if I forget my answers?” “What if I don’t score well?” “Will they allow me inside if I’m 10 minutes late to the centre?” “Why should I even bother attempting the rest of the exam if my first test was so bad?”

Ahead of the exams, these trained teacher-counsellors untangle the academic and logistical doubts of students across Mumbai, which includes Thane, Raigad, and Palghar. This is a full-time job as most teachers remain available for 7,01,362 students, over the phone or a WhatsApp call throughout the day.