Mother anxious about daughter’s academic fate

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 23

These are moments of anxiety for Charanpreet Kaur, a resident of Defence Colony here, as her daughter Jasika Walia is in the stage to get admission to a good commerce college.

Worries are endless for Charanpreet, who has been mentoring her daughter to maintain the top position in the school since her childhood. Jasika had passed Class X from St Joseph's Convent School with 97.2 per cent marks in ICSE.

Jasika, who is now a student of Class XII at MGN Public School, Urban Estate, was appearing for her CBSE exams exactly two months ago when the exams got postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jasika is still to appear for her two board exams - IP and Business Studies. The examination has now been scheduled for July 7 and 9.

Charanpreet, a housewife, said, “At this crucial juncture, various questions are running in my mind about Jasika's future. Will she be able to prepare for her exams well and restart her studies all over again? Will she be able to score good marks in board exams? Will she be able to crack entrance tests of some colleges she has been vying for? Will she be able to get admission to one of the top commerce colleges of the country?”

She said, “Jasika had appeared for online test and interview to get admission to Christ College, Bengaluru, in BBA earlier this month. By God's grace, she cleared the test as well as the interview. But, we somehow dropped the chance by not paying the fee. We wanted her to try for other colleges as well where there is time. She has already applied for Delhi University where the board exam results will decide her fate. She is yet to take her entrance test of IIM-Indore and Rohtak where she has applied for an integrated course. The exam, which was earlier planned to be held online, has been postponed. She has also filled forms of the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai. Now, we have our fingers crossed.”

“I get bouts of anxiety. But minutes later, I also start feeling relieved. I keep on telling myself that if the lockdown is delaying our plans, so is the case with all students. So, the exam postponement, subsequent delay in results, postponement of entrance tests and other issues are not happening with us alone. I say this to myself many times a day and just keep on telling my daughter not to feel stressed. I tell her to keep on brushing her general knowledge and preparing for the online tests. Rest, I have left it to the Almighty to take care of my daughter's fate,” said the anxious mother.