Indore: Less than 170 hours from now, the board examinations for schoolchildren will start. The ICSE higher secondary examinations are scheduled from February 28 whereas the CBSE examinations will start from March 1.

No wonder the stress levels are rising—-both in the students and their parents. Students, because there is constant pressure on them to perform exceedingly well; parents, because they keep pushing their children to meet their high expectations.

Teachers and some parents are, however, making every effort to provide ease and comfort to the anxious students. While child psychologists as well as teachers believe that reasonable amount of stress among students is good for enhancing their performance in exams, they also press on the need to allow the children to relax and prevent them from getting over stressed.

“Certainly, the stress level is on a higher side at this time of the year. The stress also brings in an element of seriousness in the children, making them more sensitive towards preparation for exams,” said a senior faculty at Sri Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar School Pramod Dalmiya.

Too much of stress however is a serious concern for both the school and parents as the reports of suicide cases among students, who appear in board examinations, are increasing gradually.
To check that some schools have started holding stress relieving workshops for both youngsters and parents. “It is quite normal that a student feels stressed during examinations. As parents, our responsibility is to prepare them from this situation from the beginning of the year,” says civil engineer Sayed Ali, whose kin will appear in class 12 board examination this year.