- “The comic strip captures anecdotes from the daily life of a child facing examinations and practical tips by Dr. Samir Parikh
- The 24*7 helpline has received over 200 calls from children facing exam related anxiety”
Delhi/NCR, December 26, 2018:
As the exam season is known to bring with it stress and pressure for students as well as the parents and teachers as well, the Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences at Fortis Healthcare, as a part of the Fortis School Mental Health Program under the aegis of Dr. Samir Parikh, has initiated a series of comic strips “Laugh ‘n’ Learn” to help the students as well as parents learn the techniques of effective studying and busting exam related stress, as an endeavor to make study and exam skills a fun-based learning experience. This comic strip incorporates elements of effective study skills in a fun and enjoyable format to help students connect with them, as well as the context of parental role to help both the students as well as parents to be able to implement these tips effectively. This series is conceptualized by Dr. Samir Parikh, Director, Fortis National Mental Health Program.
The ‘Laugh n’’ Learn’ comic strip is interactive in nature. It is designed to address the concerns of the child in an animated form, making it engaging for all the stakeholders involved – the students, teachers and the parents. The dialogue in the comic strip consists of enabling and positive messages, allowing for effective communication and the inculcation of resilience and coping mechanisms in children to help them deal with study and exam stress. The topics that are touched upon include effective classroom management, life – skill training, understanding and handling examination stress.
Post the launch of the Study and Exam Skills Initiative by Fortis School Mental Health program, Fortis Mental Health Team have been successful in reaching out to more than one lakh student in 195 schools across 28 cities in the country, equipping the students with strategies towards smarter goal setting, improving memory and concentration, time management as well as coping mechanisms to bust exam stress effectively.
Fortis has also been running the Fortis Exam Stress Helpline number 8376804102, a 24X7 helpline for students as well as their parents in order to provide guidance and support for concerns around preparing for exams and exams related stress, receiving over a 100 calls each day.
Dr. Samir Parikh, Director, Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences said, “Examinations do cause stress and it’s important that we as a society recognize this- In this context we have been working with schools across the country to empower students and help them shape their success. Last year’s we has used animated videos – Study and Exam Skills for students and a Tool Kit for Parents, and this year based on the feedback of students we thought of reaching out to them through this comic strip “ Laugh ‘n’ Learn”. We want children to enjoy learning study and exam skills- and have a few laughs and some fun along the way!”