SINGAPORE: There is now a new counselling programme that allows students to "talk" about exam stress via the Short Message System (SMS).
Given that most students are comfortable with text-messaging, Students Care Service is providing counselling via SMS, under a new programme called Project O-& N-level Examinations, also known as Project ONE.
"Last year we had an email counselling (programme) but we discontinued it this year because we found that the SMS service was more popular than the email service. I think it’s because students love to SMS… They can tell an anonymous person their problems," said Dawn Wong, a social worker at Students Care Service.
With O-level examinations brought forward by about two weeks this year, many students are already buried in their books. And problems seem to multiply during exam periods.
Serangoon Secondary School student Priya Pandiyan said, "(I am) very stressed because there are a lot of things to do and not enough time. And I have to rush and all because I really want to do well on the exams, get good points and make my family proud."
Another Serangoon Secondary School student Dionne Alviedo shared similar views. "I'm feeling really pressured and stressed because my parents really want me to go into a good JC.”
Muhd Haziq, also from Serangoon Secondary School, admitted, "Because I have a lot of soccer (practices), so I don't think that I have much time to study, so I feel so anxious."
Although the SMS counselling programme is only available to students in ten selected secondary schools in the northeast region, students in other estates can go to Project ONE’s website (
www.students.org.sg/projectone) for tips on stress management. - CNA/ac
SMS counselling at selected schools to help students deal with exam stress 
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