A helpline launched by Chief Minister Eddapadi K. Palaniswami on Thursday received over 3,000 calls till 6 p.m.
The toll-free, round-the-clock helpline, 14417, is an initiative of the School Education Department, which has tied up with GVK EMRI, the service that operates the State’s 108 ambulances and 104 health helpline. It was set up at a cost of ₹2 crore.
The 14417 helpline has three functions: to provide all school-related information, to provide career guidance/counselling and for people to call in with complaints, said an official.
“During the first half of Thursday, it was mostly parents who phoned in, but in the afternoon, students too started calling us. Many wanted help in deciding what course to take up after Class X or XII,” the official said. The helpline, he said, would also focus on identifying students with learning disabilities and helping them.
Based out of the DPI campus, this helpline, he said, had independent infrastructure and resources. “It will complement the 104 health helpline, but while that is more health-based, this new helpline will have more school-related information,” he said.
104 sees surge in calls
Anxious parents, students and even relatives of students have been calling the 104 health helpline this week. A helpline official said that from Monday to Thursday, the centre received around 300 more calls than usual, totalling to around 1,600 per day.
Counselling psychologist at the helpline B. Elayaraja said that on Tuesday, a worried couple from the city called, stating that their daughter, in Class XII, was suddenly refusing to write the exams.
“She had been fine up until recently, but then there was a complete change in her behaviour. She said she would not go to school or study and that if she did attempt the exams, she would forget everything,” he said. Mr. Elayaraja eventually found out that a conversation with some friends had stressed her out. “I spoke to her for about 45 minutes, taught her relaxation techniques and she said she felt better. I asked her to call in every day,” he said.
Breathing techniques
Deep breathing techniques are taught to students over the phone, he said. “Most of them have anxiety and are worried they will forget what they know. We teach them to relax,” he explained.
This apart, the official said, students have questions on how to prepare for the exams, how to manage time during the exams and how to prepare during the holidays between exams. “We are expecting more calls as the exam season progresses,” the official said.
