Helpline launched for SSLC students ahead of exams

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Anxious class 10 students, who will be appearing for the public exam this year, can beat their stress by calling the SSLC helpline that was inaugurated on Monday.

The helpline (080-23310075 or 23310076), which will be run by the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board (KSEEB) along with counsellors of a non-governmental organisation, will help address exam-related anxieties, clear doubts related to subjects and address queries on the new paper pattern. Students can call on the helpline centre between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. till the SSLC examination ends on April 13.

Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammad Mohsin, who inaugurated the helpline, said the department will install CCTV cameras in some centres identified as sensitive or hypersensitive. He, however, said the modalities of it were yet to be chalked out.

Acknowledging that examination stress leads to adverse effects on students and parents, KSEEB has sent a note called ‘Make examination a pleasure, not pressure’ along with the hall tickets.

The note urges students to change their attitude towards exams and tells them how they can beat anxiety using simple breathing techniques, the type of food they should eat, memory techniques, and effective ways of managing time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programme, had reached out to the student community and told them that life was bigger than just academic examinations.

Urging them to appear for exams calmly, he asked students to have faith in themselves.