Dubai/Abu Dhabi/Fujairah: Examinations certainly take their toll on students, but what about their parents and teachers?

While students are awake all night revising, parents are unable to do anything except to stand on the sidelines and sympathise.

But ultimately, is it the students or the parents who get stressed the most?

In a recent Gulf News poll, 35 per cent of respondents said students are the most stressed during examinations, 31 per cent said it was the parents, an equal percentage of respondents said they were relieved to have finished school, and the remaining 3 per cent said it was the teachers.

City Talk asked residents who are the most stressed during examinations.

Annie Dias, 44, secretary from India, said: "Neither my sons nor I get stressed during examinations, but it usually happens right before we receive the results. They are now in university and we are all very happy and stress-free. For sure they are overburdened with studies, but unfortunately there are not enough outdoor activities."

Ali Khaleel, 28, airline staff, Egypt, said: "Students have more pressure because ultimately it is their future on the line. But parents also feel the pressure because they sense what an important time exams can be for the future of their children. The closer the parents are to their children, the more stressed out they will be."

Haitham Sartawi, 39, Jordanian manager, said: "I personally do not get stressed because I know my daughter does the best that she can. But generally when it comes to Arabs, I think some mothers get stressed the most and children are pressured into studying all the time. That is why some students always pretend to get sick when examinations come."

Donna Dizon, 26, receptionist, Philippines, said: "Students get the most stressed because they have to deal with their parents and their teachers. In general, I do not think that they are overworked but they should always remember to have extracurricular activities to relieve themselves of stress. It is important to have a breath of fresh air in between school work."

Doha Al Wazany, public relations manager, Palestine, said: "My cousin's daughter is five years old and she is already being bombarded with homework and studies, which is too much for a five-year-old child to handle. This results in stressing out the child, the mother and the teacher who also got a responsibility to deliver all this information to her students. Students are definitely over-burdened with studying."

Wajih Halawa, 30, Jordanian account manager, said: "Stress is definitely on the students. I am not saying teachers and parents do not get stressed, but at the end the greatest stress is on students. On the other hand, parents are torn between creating a study-friendly environment for their children and at the same time getting stressed out for their children's future."

Hazim Tawfiq, 31, accountant from Egypt, said: "Exams are stressful for everyone, but surely no-one is more stressed than the students themselves. If you are an ambitious student then exams are the most important time of the school year and the tension will be there.

"I do not think you can say students are overburdened with studies because they are at an age when they can process a lot of information and at the end they are the ones who will benefit from a good education. I do not think exams should be a stressful time for parents because that will make their children even more stressed and maybe negatively affect their performance."

Saeed Attia, 34, supervisor and laboratory technician, Egypt, said: "Teachers are the most stressed during school examinations.

"I feel many students in the UAE are not that smart, which adds to the burden and responsibility of a teacher. I also noticed that many students are taking private lessons along side their studies and schooling, which has its toll on them."



Your comments


The concentration on Your purpose -is the vital and most important thing to atchieve what You want.
Jolanta
Klaipeda,Lithuania
Posted: March 15, 2009, 11:26