Colleges, NGOs join hands to help students & parents overcome stress

With board exams drawing close, the stress level of the students is on the rise. Digging their head into the pile of books for last-minute revision, the building pressure is taking a toll on the young panicky minds. In a bid to offer nervous students with some amount of respite, colleges and NGOs have come up with a helping hand.

Anju Sheth, director, Suicidal Helpline, said, "We provide counselling to students who are stressed because of the exams. During these unnerving hours, we concentrate on providing students with the right kind of guidance and support. And this year, we have taken our counselling a step ahead by providing on-site counselling. We have already visited a number of schools for preparing the children to face the exam pressure."

The atmosphere at home is also getting taut. In fact, experts believe that the entire family should go for counselling to ease the burgeoning pressure. Ranjeeta Gill, principal, HB Kapadia School, said, "It is important for both students and their parents to understand the importance of exams but this does not mean pressurising the children." The school had recently organised a stress management and counselling programme with the help of SAATH volunteers for students appearing for the board exams.

This apart, 'Helpline 2009', a collaborative effort of CU Shah Arts College and the Navjot Charitable Trust, also aims to assist students in overcoming their exam fears. Deepak Shah, co-ordinator 'Helpline 2009' and head of psychology dept at the college, said, "We offer both phone-line counselling and in-person guidance to parents and children in need of help. If we can help calm and de-stress even 10 per cent of the students appearing for the boards exam, we will feel our efforts have been rewarded. We started this helpline on February 2 and in the next 20 days we received about 1,500 calls from students seeking help and guidance."

They even gave counselling to some 27 parents and plan to continue the service till the last day of the board exam. The second phase of the programme will include creating a helpline before the announcement of the board results, added Shah.

Mitaaly Naidu/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication