As the World Cup fever grips the city, Class-X student Rashi Dhingra says her study schedule has gone completely haywire. While her exams are scheduled from March 21, her plans of revising the syllabus for the Summative Assessment II (SA-II) have been disrupted.
?There is a lot of distraction as my father and brother are both big cricket fans. There are constant discussions about cricket. I had to go to the room farthest from the TV set to study.? And in the coming days, she expects the cricket mania to grow.
She is not alone. With the exams inching closer for Class-X and Class-XII students, thousands like her in the city complain that studies have taken a backseat due to the hoopla surrounding the ICC World Cup 2011.
For Class-X students, the pressure is easier to handle, as SA-II is a school-based exam. For Class-XII students across city schools, it is a tougher balancing act.
Now, even CBSE counsellors are getting frantic calls from parents and students alike, with queries not only on how to recall derivations during the Physics paper and or handle Chemistry equations, but also on how to convince parents to let them watch the cricket match.
Geetanjali Kumar, a CBSE counsellor, says, ?This was a question I was asked on Saturday by a student. Since India was playing, they called me up to tell me: ?Padai mein man nahi lag raha (I am not able to concentrate on studies).?
CBSE counsellors, however, say the number of calls from Class-X students has gone down this year. Every year, the CBSE offers pre-exam and post-result counselling sessions for both students and parents. According to CBSE officials, 49 principals, trained counsellors from CBSE-affiliated government and private schools and a few psychologists are participating in tele-counselling this year to address exam-related problems.
Kumar says, ?Calls from Class-X students have dropped since last year. But queries still come in about the marks certificate students would receive from the CBSE. Many students opting to appear for the school-based SA-II or the CBSE Boards still don?t know that they will receive the certificate from CBSE either way, hence noone is at a position of advantage or loss.?
Another counsellor says the frequency of calls from parents and students will increase as the exams inch closer. ?Most students fear their preparations are not up to the mark or that they forget lessons as soon they learn it.?
Kumar adds: ?Class XII students are mostly worried about their Physics paper.?
Counsellors reiterate that parents should not pressurise their ward to study. ?If he/she is feeling low and does not want to study, let it be. In fact, allowing them to watch the match might just cheer them up,? said a city school principal.