As Delhi’s air quality worsens to a severe level, the city government declared on Thursday that all classes for students up to Class V will transition to online learning. “Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions,” Delhi Chief Minister Atishi wrote on X.
All the Heads of government, government-aided and unaided private recognised schools of Directorate of Education (DoE), MCD, NDMC and DCB in Delhi are directed to discontinue physical classes in schools for children up to Class V. Heads of Schools are hereby directed to ensure classes in online mode for the students of these classes till further orders,” the order read.
Also read: With air pollution on rise, Delhi goes for strict measures
The choice to move primary classes to an online format was made after the implementation of restrictions under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR. These measures consist of prohibiting construction and demolition work, as well as restricting the entry of specific vehicles into Delhi.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has revealed 20 more trips during weekdays. This adds to the 40 additional trips that have been operational since GRAP-II was implemented.
Delhi Metro will now operate an additional 60 trips on weekdays, intending to serve more passengers and alleviate congestion as the city suffers from pollution. These extra services will continue to be applicable as long as GRAP-III guidelines are implemented.
As air quality declines, residents of Delhi have been greeting hazy mornings with limited visibility caused by dense fog.
Healthcare experts have consistently cautioned that prolonged exposure to “extremely poor” air quality may result in respiratory problems, and high AQI levels can impact healthy people as well, creating significant dangers for those with pre-existing health issues.
