Delhi: Classes 1-5 move online until further notice

New Delhi

Students of all schools up to Class 5 will move to online classes in view of increasing pollution levels in the Capital, until further notice, the Delhi government announced on Thursday.

Most schools are shut till Sunday— a holiday for Guru Nanak Jayanti on Friday followed by the weekend—and the situation will be reviewed again, government officials said.

“Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions,” chief minister Atishi posted on X, with the directorate of education passing an order in this regard, directing all government, government-aided and unaided private recognised schools to discontinue in-person classes for students up to Class 5.

The decision, however, came more than 48 hours after children across the city had already been subjected to the worst air quality of the season. Experts have condemned the delay, stressing that the children have been forced to go to school despite the noxious air.

“State governments in the NCR and the GNCTD may take a decision on discontinuing physical classes in schools for children up to Class 5 and conducting classes in online mode,” the GRAP guidelines mention.

Health concerns

Parents, while welcoming the move as an immediate step to safeguard children’s health, said that the government should look at a more permanent solution to the annual pollution conundrum. Many said that toxic air was causing respiratory issues, skin allergies and viral infections.

Aprajita Gautam, president, Delhi Parents’ Association, said that they have been receiving complaints from members about illnesses among children. “The government should come up with a solid plan to tackle pollution since this has become a yearly problem in winter months. Even political leaders have children going to school. They should consider the situation as a parent,” she said.

Bhavna Pandey, a resident of Dwarka, said that her child was facing problems every time she stepped out. “Walking few steps is causing breathlessness in my daughter’s case, and her skin is getting very dry when exposed to outside environment. This is not normal. From our experience last year, we have seen that delaying school timing doesn’t help as pollution remains throughout the day,” Pandey said.

The education department in Gurugram, meanwhile, on Thursday revised its school timings to start from 9.30am.

On Children’s Day, a network of mothers calling themselves “Warrior Moms” visited Nirman Bhawan and submitted a memorandum and a copy of their survey on respiratory issues among children to health minister JP Nadda.

Schools prepared

Many schools HT spoke to in the city said they started taking precautionary measures even before the government issued closure orders on Thursday, mandating the use of masks and restricting outdoor activities.

Richa Sharma Agnihotri, principal of Sanskriti School in Chanakyapuri, said that a precautionary advisory was issued to parents and students. “We have installed air purifiers in all of our classrooms and filters are changed regularly. Students are encouraged to wear N95 masks,” she said.

Other schools said that while they have online systems in place to conduct classes, it is not the perfect solution to the pollution crisis.

“We have a robust online system and a fallback timetable in place in case of school closure. At present, we have curtailed early morning outdoor activities and advised masks. However, we would like to make a strong case for stringent permanent measures to be taken to combat pollution. These were effectively the best months of the year, which we normally used for outdoor picnics, annual days and sports days etc. and it is a pity to see children not enjoying November outdoors anymore,” said Divya Bhatia, principal, Amity International School, Saket.

Deepak Kumar, principal of Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, J&K Dilshad Garden, said: “From sprinkling water to encouraging indoor activities, we have taken all necessary steps to ensure students’ welfare.”

In general, schools advised parents to keep windows closed, seek medical advice in case of persistent health concerns and keep tabs on the news to assess air quality levels to take appropriate steps.