Delhi pollution: Primary schools to remain shut till air quality improves

New Delhi, Nov 05: All primary schools have been shut in the National Capital from today. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also informed that for students in Classes 5 and above, all outdoor activities and sports activities will be halted until further notice. The announcement comes from the Delhi CM as the AQI levels in Delhi reach the 'severe' mark.

Kejriwal said that deteriorating air quality and pollution levels were a problem of the entire north India and the Centre should take steps to address it. ''This is not the time for blame game and politics, but time to find a solution to the problem. Blaming Kejriwal or the Punjab government won't help,'' he asserted.

''We're taking all steps to control the pollution situation. In lieu of that, we're shutting down all primary schools in Delhi from tomorrow... Also shutting down outdoor activities for all classes above class 5,'' he said.

Thick smog blanketed Delhi as the city's air quality remained in the 'severe' zone for the second consecutive day, primarily due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and raging farm fires in Punjab.

An AQI of above 400 is considered 'severe' which can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing illnesses.

Detailing the anti-pollution curbs in the national capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said schools will be asked to curtail outdoor activities of senior students.

Several schools in Delhi-NCR and parents of students welcomed the government's announcement on holding online classes for primary grades in view of rising pollution, and expressed hope that concerted efforts would be made by the authorities as well as people to address the recurring problem as reported by news agency PTI.

Experts suggested that the government should rejig vacation schedule in schools as pollution turns severe in winter season every year.

According to Pallavi Upadhyaya, Principal of Delhi Public School (DPS), Raj Nagar Extension, the school will conduct online classes during the period.

"We respect the decision taken by authorities and plan on conducting online classes to ensure that there is no learning loss for children. Teachers and students are already adept and comfortable with online classes, so we don't expect any technical hurdles or glitches. Extra classes are already being conducted in the evening in online mode. So, for us logging in for classes will never be a hassle," she said.

Delhi Parents Association president Aparajitha Gautam said shutting down of primary schools is a welcome step but questioned why senior classes have not been suspended.

"Does the government think those children won't suffer from the poor air quality in Delhi? Impact of pollution doesn't have an age bar. Relief should have been given to the students of all classes. Moreover, how long will the government continue with these temporary solutions?" she said.

Bharati Chaturvedi, founder and director of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, said the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was implemented earlier too and shutting down schools under the action plan is nothing new.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had recently asked the Delhi government to shut schools till the city's air quality improves.

In view of severe pollution in the national capital, many schools have taken several measures to protect children, including suspension of outdoor activities and introduction of breathing exercises in classes.

On Thursday, all schools in Noida and Greater Noida were asked to hold classes online for students up to class 8 till November 8 in view of increasing pollution in the National Capital Region, according to an official order.

After remaining closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus-induced lockdowns, pre-primary, primary and middle schools opened in Delhi from November 1, 2021, but closed for all grades within two weeks from November 15 because of the rising air pollution levels.

In 2021, Delhi also experienced its longest "air pollution closure". When schools reopened for all grades on November 29, they were ordered shut again, citing air pollution.

They opened briefly for 10 days for classes 6 to 12, before they closed completely on December 29, 2021 because of the Omicron-driven coronavirus surge.

The schools partially opened for primary students in February this year, and were fully offline for all students from April 1.

According to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago's Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released in June, the residents of Delhi stand to lose 10 years of life expectancy due to poor air quality.

An analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in 2021 showed people in the capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 when stubble burning peaks.