CHENNAI: For S Nivedha, a Class 10 student of a government school, the past one week has not been a smooth sail. She has been feeling uneasiness and anxiety ahead of May 6, the day when her much-anticipated board exam kicks off. She feels her preparation has not been not enough.
“I am not at all confident about facing the exam. Since Class 8, I have not appeared in any offline examination due to the pandemic, and now I have to directly write my board exams,” said Nivedha, a resident of Velachery. “Whether I will be able to finish my answers in time, whether I will be able to recall all the answers, I don’t know. As the exam date is nearing, I am not able to sleep properly, I am becoming nervous and jittery,” added Nivedha.
A Chinthan, another student, said they haven’t written adequate revision tests before the exam. “Though they have reduced the syllabus, the revision exams were not held properly. Board exams come with a lot of pressure, and I am really concerned,” said Chinthan.
If the exam related pressure was not enough to handle, the scorching heat and soaring Covid-19 cases have just added to the woes of the students. “Its so hot that I am not able to concentrate, and feeling restless. I don’t know how I will write the exam for three hours,” said Sandhya Prakash, another Class 10 student. The exams will be held in the peak noon hours of 10 am-1 pm.
The short gap between the exams is another concern. “For English, we have a 12-day gap but for Science it is only a one-day gap,” said A Subramani, a Class 10 student.
Meanwhile, teachers are trying their best to help the students remain calm. “It is a fact that they don’t have enough practice to write offline exam. Three revision exams were scheduled but as schools were closed in January due to hike in Covid cases, only two were held and many schools conducted it casually,” said TN Graduate Teacher’s Federation general secretary P Patrick Raymond.