Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The helpline number of the MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) received 1,15,721 calls from students over the past one year, with 6,584(5.68%) of the callers saying that they
are feeling stressed. The maximum number of calls - 40,853 (35.30%) - were about examinations, followed by 28,357 (24.50%) for result-related issues.
The helpline number (18002330175) received nearly 317 calls a day from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. As many as 5,568 (4.81%) students wanted tips for scoring higher marks in examinations, 4,669 (4.03%) sought to know how they can improve their personality and 4,616 (3.98%) wanted advice on which career they should pursue. The helpline is open from 8 am to 8 pm all seven days a week including holidays. The calls are answered by trained counsellors.
The MPBSE exams are scheduled to begin next month. Class 10 exams will be conducted from February 11 to March 2 and Class 12 exams from February 7 to March 5.
As the examination dates draw closer, the average number of calls a day has begun rising. It is already around 400 a day and according to officials of the helpline, may go up to 1,000 per day within a fortnight or so.
Among the top questions being posed are how to keep away from mobile phones and social media and how to score better in the examinations. The students are also complaining that they forget what they have studied and cannot sit with the books for long.
Handover phones to parents
Bhupesh Gupta, PRO of the MPBSE said, "Many callers are saying that they are feeling stressed and depressed. Most of them don t know what depression and stress mean and they are just using the words they have heard. Students who want to know how to keep away from social media are being advised to distance themselves from their mobile phones gradually. We are also asking them to consider handing over their phones to their parents till the examinations are over."
