Slamming shut the chapter of anxiety before the Class X and XII board examinations, the Punjab Health Department has extended its toll-free ‘104’ health helpline for the students facing testing times.
The state Director General School Education (DGSE) has issued a communique to all the District Education Officers (DEOs) and school heads, that is principals and headmasters, to make the students aware regarding the toll free helpline service for counselling and stress management.
All the school heads have been instructed to inform the students regarding the ‘104’ toll free facility, provided by the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC), during morning assembly, or by pasting notices prominently on the schools’ notice boards.
Besides, they have also been directed to ask the teachers to conduct a mock-drill in the presence of school heads to provide practical training to the students of class X and XII.
The State Health Department’s ‘104’ helpline, which has proved a boon for the State’s populace ever since it has been launched in 2014, will, this time, facilitate the anxious students in managing their stress levels and relieving tension.
Examination for Class XII under the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has already started from February 28, while that of Central Board of School Education (CBSE) would start from March 9. CBSE Class X exams will also begin from March 9, while PSEB exams for Class X from March 14.
Considering the mounting competition levels these days, the students usually face high stress levels, especially during exams and after results, so much so that many resort to extreme measures.
“Besides the family and friends’ support, students also need emotional help to relieve them from tension and to make them understand that failure is not the end of everything,” a senior Education Department official told The Pioneer adding that keeping the same in mind, the helpline’s scope has been extended.
“If students would be aware about such facility, they would be able to use to tackle the depression and tension faced by them during the board exams with the help of the experts,” said the official.
The helpline, being run by the Ziqitza Healthcare limited under the PHSC, provides services like giving medical advice, information regarding health services, counselling related to drug or rehabilitation, HIV-AIDS, besides depression, suicides etc.
ZHl, in all, is running three helpline numbers in Punjab — ‘181’ Punjab Police Helpline, ‘108’ emergency helpline, besides ‘104’ medical helpline. “A well-trained team of experienced paramedics staff, qualified doctors, clinical psychologist is running the helpline,” said ZHl official Jitendra Sharma.
The counsellors advising the students on helpline maintained that the board exams have made them sleepless, nervous, and low on confidence. “Most of the complaints are like students say that they could not sleep, they are nervous, their confidence is breaking up, besides things like parents would feel bad if I fail…its mainly the competition pressure,” said another ZHl official.
Cautioned by the high level of depression, tensions, and nervousness among the students, the CBSE, while announcing the date-sheet, had made it clear that every possible efforts has been made to maintain reasonable time gap between the major papers.