The National Commission of Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has introduced Pariksha Parv 4.0, to help students deal with exam stress and anxiety-related problems.

Under the initiative, students will get counselling from experts from the state education departments and those associated with the district mental health programme. Covid affected children, students of residential schools and physically challenged students will be given ‘Exam Warrior’ books, to help them cope with exam-related stress. Students will be able to interact with experts to reduce the anxiety that increases in the exam and result season.

Speaking to
Education Times, Priyank Kanoongo, chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), says, “We will conduct Pariksha Parv 4.0 in all schools throughout the country to address the exam-related stress among the students. The initiative had to be discontinued last year due to Covid.”

“NCPCR has introduced several new activities in Pariksha Parv 4.0 including the ‘exam warrior’ contest, where students can guide and support their peers and juniors to deal with the stress. “We received videos from students who are teaching fellow students stress management and dealing with exam pressure. We aim to sensitise the school heads, school counsellors and teachers, throughout the country with the help of the State Commission of Protection of Child Rights (SCPCRs). For the first time, we will also conduct exam stress management sessions before the announcement of results as well,” says Kanoongo.

“Some NGOs will also help NCPCR in distributing the ‘exam warrior’ books that guide students to deal with their emotions during exams. To ensure that students remain stress-free during their exams, we have extended our Samvedna tele-counselling number through which they will get proper counselling from the counsellors to eliminate exam centric stress. The existing counselors who are associated with the state education departments and district mental health programme, will counsel the students,” informs Kanoongo.

Recently, we had invited a student named Avi Sharma who is a recipient of PM Rashtriya Bal Puruskar to deliver a lecture on exam stress elimination during an interactive session with students, adds Kanoongo.

Sudha Acharya, chairperson, National Progressive Schools Conference (NPSC), says, “We conduct stress management sessions for classes X and XII before the exams. We will participate in the Pariksha Parv 4.0 by NCPCR. Such a campaign is the need of the hour as in the last two years there has been an adverse impact on the mental health of students due to Covid. The board exams and CUET are also adding to the stress among students.”