The Hindu : World Cup aside, students enter a different battle

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 04, 2003

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World Cup aside, students enter a different battle

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI MARCH 3. It was time to leave the Cricket World Cup euphoria behind and zero in on a different numbers game for the Capital's Class XII students on Monday as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations began.

Tension ruled the day as students appeared for their Physics examination. Most centres saw nervous students taking refuge in last-minute revision even as parents waited till the final bell was sounded.

While CBSE maintained that no cases of cheating had been reported so far, students themselves seemed pretty satisfied with the modified paper. All Class XII Science subjects will see a shorter question paper this year as the total number of questions have been slashed from 30 to 27. Most students described the paper as well set and comparatively easy to attempt.

"Our students were very happy with the paper. Some of them did complain that the paper was slightly lengthy but overall everyone seemed to be pleased with their performance,'' said the Principal of Ryan International School at Vasant Kunj, Dhriti Malhotra.

The Board's decision to introduce the new scheme of every centre having a teacher of the visiting school to be present at the centre has gone down well with students, who say the presence of a teacher brings a feeling of "security'' in an alien environment.

``It definitely helped. At least you know that if you have a problem you will be able to get the concerned person to hear it out,'' said Neha, a Class XII student. But not everyone seems to agree with the Board's theory on providing emotional support.

``I don't think it is fair. The teachers are after all outsiders at the examination centre and their job can be taken as interference by many,'' said Ms. Malhotra.

Most school counsellors, specially those working specifically for the Board examinations, were flooded with calls on the eve of D-Day. Memory loss, anxiety and high stress levels remained the biggest complaints, with those calling in on Saturday categorically being upset about missing out the crucial India-Pakistan World Cup match.

``Most students called in to say that their parents were not allowing them to see the match. They were ready to forgo all other matches but said their parents should let them see just this match. The World Cup is clearly the biggest distraction for most students, especially boys,'' said Mala Sharma, who is helping students through CBSE's helpline sessions.

It will be time for class X students to take the litmus test on Tuesday as they sit for their first board examination.

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