The Commission for Air Quality (CAQM) in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas has given permission to Delhi schools to reopen and resume physical teaching-learning activities of Class 6 and above from today, 18 December, onwards.
Schools in the National capital were shut due to an alarming increase in Delhi’s air pollution levels.
Following a nod from the CAQM, Class 6 and above can now visit their schools and resume physical classes. The order for resumption of physical classes (Class 6 and above) is applicable for all government and private schools, education institutions, skill development institutions, training institutions and libraries in the National Capital.
Physical classes for junior students, i.e. from Class 5 and below will resume from 27 December after considering the Air Quality Index at the time of the reopening and keeping in mind the winter vacation scheme.
As per the official circular by the Commission for Air Quality, ‘State Governments of NCR and GNCTD may take a decision for resumption of physical classes, for students up to V standard, only w.e.f. 27th December, 2O21, duly considering the Air Quality Index IAQII and the winter vacation scheme’.
The Supreme Court of India had criticized the Delhi government for continuing physical classes even after the Air Quality Index of the city went up to 429, pushing it into the severely polluted category. On 3 December, the state government then ordered to close all educational institutions in the capital city until further notice.
The decision to reopen schools came after the Delhi Education Department sent two proposals for resuming physical classes to the Environment Ministry. The proposals requested that physical classes for students of Class 6 and above should commence immediately, while the ones for primary students should open from 20 December.
CAQM also mentioned that it received a large number of representations asking to resume physical classes. The representations cited the mental health issues of students and the harmful consequences of online classes. Some people demanding the resumption of offline classes also highlighted the problem of the digital divide in online learning.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), Delhi’s air quality has now shifted from the category of ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’. This means that while an improvement can be seen in the AQI, Delhi is still not completely rid of the smog and pollution.