Little mind big challenges: Academic pressure on class six students

The common exam result declaration of the academic year 2023 reveals a notable increase in pass percentage for class 6 students compared to the years 2021 and 2022.  The three national toppers achieved impressive scores exceeding 90. However, this achievement does not fully voice out the challenges that young minds have to undergo at such a tender age, sparking recent discussions with varying perspectives.

Students’ reaction

Kencho Choden, a 13-year student from Bumthang shared her experience of the common exam last year, highlighting the challenges she faced with tough questions in mathematics and ICT, subjects she finds difficult. She also notes that as the exam date approached, she had to put in extra effort compared to previous exams, but she was thankful for the exam timetable that was organized in such a way that she did not have to stay up late as she could study in the morning until lunch for the particular subject.

  She is also very positive about the board exam where she said, “I think it is a very good decision to make class 6 appear for the board examinations because I have to get through three more board exams and I can familiarize myself with it and study accordingly.”

Anog Galley was twelve years old when he sat for the common exam last year, when asked about his mental health he said, “I was stressed about attempting the competency-based questions last year. But I just did not keep studying continuously, I gave myself some time to relax in between.” Among all the subjects, Anog was relieved that he passed the Dzongkha paper because for him the questions were tough.

When asked about her views on the common examination, Yeshi Yangchen Wangdi from Paro who will be appearing for her first common examination expressed a mix of excitement and nervousness. While unsure about the question papers, she has prioritized focusing on her main subjects and is determined to tackle the exam with dedication and hopes to perform well in her exam. Moreover, she thinks that making the students sit for a common examination shows how well the students of the twenty dzongkhags are performing overall.

However, not all the students had a positive experience with the board examination. Kinley shared struggles with exam stress where he was stressed about how to overcome it despite having counseling sessions in his school about stress management which affected his mental health. He showed his results where he passed in all subjects with good scores, but failed in mathematics due to his concerns about the unpredictability of question formats and felt unprepared leading to his failure.

Despite his neighbors talking about his failures which he says demotivated him, he believes his parents’ even though they were not happy after seeing his result at first, they encouraged him to do better next time.

Educational professionals’ response

When asked about how counselors in school help educate the students about taking care of their mental health, Sonam, a counselor at school emphasized the importance of mindfulness and relaxation techniques in helping students cope with exam pressure. He said, “Before the exam, students do have pressure to perform well, high expectations, fear of failure, and parental expectations.” In response to this, he described programs focusing on mindfulness, breathing exercises, and healthy lifestyle habits to alleviate stress and enhance exam preparation.

When asked particularly about class 6 students not being able to cope with the academic pressure, he recounted instances where he had around two clients who were class 6 students before they sat for their exams.

 Sonam said that one of the students was stressed about a disagreement that turned into an argument between his parents which made the student worry that it could hamper his preparation for the exam. According to him, the other client shared about her challenges at home while studying where her parents and her siblings lost trust in her capabilities.

 He said, “Thereafter, she disclosed about missing the classes and even came to a decision to discontinue her education. All of these made her believe that they were true and triggered her worry more about the exam and she expressed a tense period about whether to believe in herself or others before she appeared on the board exam.”

Furthermore, in our recent interview with a counselor from southern Bhutan, he acknowledged the positive impact it could bring in the quality of education but he mentioned that some children might not be able to handle their academic pressure and might even drop out. He also emphasized the importance of considering students’ mental health when implementing board examinations, highlighting the need to balance competition with the well-being of students.

 Consequently, Mr. Kezang who is a principal said that students often feel stressed as they are still growing up in an environment where many of them have to live with their divorce or parents living abroad leaving them with no one to consult at home.

Most of the class 6 students lack familiarity with stress management techniques despite efforts to educate them through programs in schools. On top of that when faced with their first common exam, they are worried about how the competency-based questions should be answered and be prepared for. While some students bravely confront these fears, some students fall under pressure, hindering their concentration and performance.

Board results from 2023

The overall class 6 pass percentage of 2023 is 72.39% where 43 schools secured 100% pass results. The past percentage has been calculated based on the number of candidates who passed their main subjects; Dzongkha, English, Mathematics, and any one subject.

In the subject-wise performance, the highest pass percentage was the Dzongkha subject with 92.93% whereas, ICT has the lowest pass percentage with 54.99%.