‘Set realistic goals & pay attention’

PUNE: “Setting realistic goals and paying attention to focused studying can go a long way to help children answer the board examination stress-free,” said expert Sheetal Bapat of Shyamchi Aai Foundation, an organisation that works with class X children at State Board schools across the state.

Ahead of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination which is set to begin from March 3, Bapat added, “The examination will be starting next week. So I think it is safe to assume that the children will have studied everything that they could by now. Now, parents and children must focus more on stress management.”

She further said, “Instead of taking tension about the results, the students, as well as parents, must set realistic goals. Especially parents must realise their children’s strengths and weaknesses, and try not to worry about marks at this stage. They must realise that even skills have gained a lot of importance today, and there are several skill development courses available which could be best suited to their child. Unrealistic expectations often lead to an unhealthy amount of stress which can further hamper a child’s performance in the examination.” 

ADVICE FOR STUDENTS
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet.
- Get enough sleep.
- Make sure that your body has enough fluids.
- Meditation has proved to be one of the best means of remaining calm.
- Have healthy communication with parents.
- Revise and recollect what you have already learned instead of trying to study something completely new.