CBSE helpline gets 200 calls on day one

The CBSE helpline received around 200 calls until 8pm on Tuesday, the first day when the counselling facility became functional for this year.

The CBSE helpline received around 200 calls until 8pm on Tuesday, the first day when the counselling facility became functional for this year.

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The 24-hour helpline will operate across 44 centres in India and four abroad through the exam period until April 13. The CBSE board exams (class 10 and 12) begin on March 1. This year, class 10 students, for the first time, have the option to take school final exams instead of board exams.

Of the 200-odd calls received on day one, around 60 were related to exam-stress while the rest were general exam-related queries, said a CBSE spokesperson. This is the 14th year of the board providing counselling services to students in the run-up to the final exams.

“Calls come to the centralised system and are then routed to different centres. We usually get all kinds of queries,” said Avnita Bir, principal, RN Podar School, Santacruz who will be manning an extension of the helpline during the exams.

This is also the third year that the board will be operating a separate helpline for differently-abled children to answer questions related to their needs.

On Monday, the board also put out a document addressing students’ exam-related queries. “If you feel that there is pressure and you are unable to handle it, then you must consult a psychiatrist,” said the circular. It also addressed concerns related to sleep debt and paper checking system among others.