Students, some of whom will appear for board exams next year, have complained of not being able to sustain their interest in studies, psychiatrists and counsellors have said.

Now that studies are completely online, from attending classes to uploading assignments to writing exams, many students have said they are finding it difficult to concentrate for long periods at a stretch.

Studying requires “active attention” unlike any entertainment on a mobile phone or any screen, which they can do for long periods because it requires “passive attention”, according to a psychiatrist.

The general stress level, too, has gone up because of the uncertainty triggered by the pandemic and no definite information on when they can return to campus. This is making them more restless.

“There are students who are finding it difficult to sustain interest in academics… they are conscious that they are not able to study and learn as they should,” psychiatrist Jai Ranjan Ram said.

“There is a difference in the quality of engagement in an online class than they would have in a physical classroom and some have complained that schools lack the same degree of seriousness in an online set-up,” he said.

Students are missing the routine of a school and no matter how much schools try to replicate it by asking them to attend online classes in their uniform it is not the same, another psychiatrist said.

Many parents have said that children keep “snacking” throughout classes as some teachers ask them to keep the video and audio switched off or maybe they are forced to keep them shut because of poor Net connectivity.

“In a school environment there is a certain structure and discipline… with other students sitting in the same class there is an extra impetus to study. At home, many can’t keep themselves motivated and concentrate on studies,” psychiatrist Sanjay Garg said.

“At home there are also distractions… like using a mobile phone or doing something else on the computer simultaneously, which is not permissible in school because of the enforced discipline,” he said.

Many students have been asking teachers when they can return to school; the extension of the closure is making them agitated and anxious.

“The level of stress has gone up and they are bored and irritated. In a better mood they are able to focus on studies for a longer time... besides, when they are studying there has to be an active attention unlike when they are watching a film or chatting for hours on a mobile phone, which requires passive attention,” psychiatrist Praveen Kumar said.

At least 70 per cent of the children he has seen in the last month have complained of finding it difficult to focus on studies in online classes. “The attention span has gone down,” Kumar said.

Students who will be appearing for board exams next year are feeling “let down”.

“Some of them have board exams next year and they have said that tests in schools were far more valuable than sitting in homes,” Ram said. There is fear and anxiety among students they “will be underprepared and that they are not studying hard enough for logistic reasons”, he said.

“Parents have come to us because they are anxious whether online classes are sufficient for their children to write board exams... parents are worried because children are unable to attend practical classes,” Garg said.

Most counsellors have advised students to maintain “a social connection” with their friends.

“But they have to do that on a video call and with space a limitation even that is being monitored at home,” a counsellor said.