Examinations amongst children is not a modern-day phenomenon. With the competition rising and number of seats not increasing to the same proportion, stress during exams is unfortunately here to stay!
According to children's author, Monarose Pereira, "Tension brews as examinations are around the corner. Today, this tension is unbearable because a student's entire life is determined by it. Examinations are no more a positive challenge. They have become a way by which we judge people on all fronts based on one perspective. There are also several empirical forces at play while a student appears for an exam, which are not taken into consideration."
Explains Pereira, "When children play and read, they like the challenges in the exercise. There is a great amount of excitement. In fact, children are born with a natural sense of curiosity which, if tapped in the right way, can be transferred into a keen interest in learning. Unfortunately, we swap down this interest and then force it upon children in the name of information and facts. To top it all, we have only one way of grading various types of children which is really unfair. Our education system has to undergo drastic changes, if we need students to take the examination as an enjoyable challenge."
"In this complex and bewildering world, Indian parents are going to learn the lesson that Western parents, teachers and schools learnt in the heady days of the 60s and 70s that the only way to bring up a child to be happy and successful is to let him follow his own 'star' according to his own timescale," says Andy Gray, head, governing council, EuroSchool, Mumbai.
Today, parents seldom take a personal interest in the child's study. It is left to the school and the tutorial classes. But education is much more than what is imparted in these institutions. What about the thousands of questions in a child's head? "These may not necessarily be about the so-called studies. There is hardly any close contact or relationship with children by parents, teachers or tutors. The schools blame it on the numbers, the parents blame it on work. Besides who is going to teach the students how to handle stress? How to make decisions? Where is the love, the emotional talk, the healing touch that parents are supposed to share with their children? Honestly, children have been living lonely lives for a long time. We have also dehumanised them. We need to relate to their humaneness," adds Pereira.
Children, make your pre-exam time easier
- Eat a sensible and regular diet. Get some fresh vegetables and fruit as part of your diet. Avoid too much caffeine, eg, coffee, tea and fizzy drinks. These give you a quick 'high' followed by an energy slump.
- If your energy does slump, have a banana rather than a caffeine drink. This helps maintain your blood sugar and helps you maintain your energy levels.
- Try to establish a routine that allows time for meals, sleep, revising and relaxing. You are allowed to enjoy yourself and it is important to have a break from study.
- Take some exercise, a walk for instance.
- Consider the possibility of visiting the doctor/counsellor if you feel the stress is too much -- some temporary help may be a sensible idea.
How to prepare for exams
- Start studying well before the exam. Revisions are more important than first time study.
- Understand the concepts rather than mugging. However, if rote learning is necessary, try using mnemonics.
- Use positive self-statements like 'I am doing my best', 'I am feeling calm'. The more negative statements you make, the more negative you feel!
- Don't work all night - get proper sleep.
- Make sure you know when and where the exam will take place.
- Get to the venue before time to allow you to stay as relaxed as possible.
- Try not to spend too much time analysing your performance after the examination. This leads to anxiety, since we all focus more on what we have done wrong than what we have done correctly.
Parents, help your children during exam
- Encourage them when they get stressed.
-Talk to them in a non-judgmental manner to know where they are coming from.
- Help them in setting timetables and guidelines for more effective study.
-Give them the message that you will accept them no matter the outcome of the exam. This is especially important in preventing suicides, as a lot of children feel anxious about their parents' views on their exam results.
- Don't pressurise if they are already stressed about the exam, keep reinforcing that you love and accept them as they are.
- Take care of their meal and sleeping habits.
(Inputs from Dr Parul Tank, consultant psychiatrist)
Source: Times Of India
From the next financial year, 2017-18, it will get tougher for tax payers to avoid filing returns. But at the same time, unnecessary queries in case of a tax notice& endless waiting in case of appeals may soon come to an end. The Union Budget 2017-18 has provisions that seek to promote compliance while making things easier for those who comply.
Fee For Delay In Filing Returns:
Currently, if a tax payer does not file returns on time there is a penalty. The penalty is discretionary & payable post facto, that is, after you have filed returns. It is also levied only if it is proved that the taxpayer has intentionally not filed returns.
So technically it is possible to delay filing returns till the end of the next financial year. This means for FY17, returns have to be filed by July 31, 2017. It can be delayed till March 31, 2018, if there is no tax payable (if you have only salary income and the entire tax is cut by way of tax deducted at source). It is only after March 31, 2018 that there are chances of penalty. But, now the penalty has been changed to a fee. The fee is Rs. 5000 if the return is filed even a day after July, 31 2018 up to December 31, 2018, for the assessment year 2018-19. From January 1, 2019 on-wards the fee increases to Rs. 10000. Since it is a fee, it has to be paid while filing tax returns along with any tax on the interest income, etc. If any.
Scope For Unnecessary Queries Reduced:
The Budget has proposed a scheme for centralized issuance of notices for processing of information or documents and making available the outcome of the processing to the AO. This will ensure that in case a refund is selected for scrutiny, the AO will have to stick to the particular points of that case. If properly implemented and supervised, this will reduce the scope for unnecessary scrutiny & assessment.
Summary Assessment A Must:
Currently, in case of claims for refund, the income tax department is supposed to do a summary assessment. But, often the department puts off the summary assessment till the last minute & instead issues a notice for scrutiny detailed assessment. But, now the Budget has proposed that summary assessment must be done irrespective of whether the claim is to be taken up for detailed scrutiny assessment or not. This would reduce the delay in case of refunds.
Speedier Resolution In Scrutiny Notices:
Earlier, if you received a scrutiny notice, the time to complete the assessment was 21 months. This has been reduced to 18 months for the assessment year 2017-18. It has been further reduced to 12 months for AY18-19. This will ensure speedier resolution of scrutiny cases & speed up the resolution process.
Tax Only On Completion Of Redevelopment:
Those who are looking to develop their land jointly or redevelop their existing house societies with builders now have clarity on tax treatment of the asset. The Budget has clarified that the tax will apply only when the completion certificate is received. Now, the owner has to pay tax only when the asset, that is the house, is in his hand.
Source: Business Standard