Severe Air Pollution In Delhi: Are Schools Closed Today? Details Here

Delhi Schools Closed Today: Are schools in Delhi closed today due to severe air pollution? Amid worsening air quality in the national capital, schools have not been ordered to shut completely. However, the Delhi government has announced that students from nursery to Class 5 will attend Classes entirely in online mode until further notice. Meanwhile, those in grades 6 to 11 will follow a hybrid learning format, except for Class 10.

Delhi Schools In Online Mode: Nursery to Class 5 Schools Shift to Complete Online Mode

The Delhi government had earlier allowed parents the option to decide whether they wished to send their children to school for physical classes. This flexibility was introduced to minimise students' exposure to rising pollution levels. However, on December 15, the government withdrew this option and mandated that classes for nursery to Class 5 be conducted only in virtual mode.

"In view of the prevailing high AQI levels in Delhi, it has been decided that physical classes for students from nursery to Class 5 are discontinued until further orders for all government, government-aided and unaided private recognised schools in Delhi," the Directorate of Education said in a circular issued today.

Classes 6 to 11 in Hybrid Mode (Except Class 10)

On December 13, the Delhi government instructed all government and private schools to conduct Classes for students from Class 6 to Class 11 (excluding Class 10) in a hybrid format. This means schools can offer both offline and online classes as stricter measures under GRAP Stage 4 were implemented due to worsening air quality.

Delhi Schools In Hybrid Mode: Schools Rising AQI in Delhi

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the 'severe' category on Monday, recording a level of 427. A day earlier, on Sunday, the AQI touched 461, the second-highest recorded for the month of December.

As per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality at 27 monitoring stations across Delhi was marked as 'severe' on Monday, while 12 stations reported 'very poor' air quality. Wazirpur emerged as the most polluted area with an AQI of 475.

AQI Level Classification

According to CPCB standards, an AQI

• between 0-50 is classified as 'good',
• 51-100 as 'satisfactory',
• 101-200 as 'moderate',
• 201-300 as 'poor',
• 301-400 as 'very poor', and
• 401-500 as 'severe'.

When Are GRAP Restrictions Enforced?

• GRAP Stage 1 is enforced when AQI falls between 201 and 300 ('poor').
• GRAP Stage 2 comes into effect between 301 and 400 ('very poor').
• GRAP Stage 3 applies when AQI ranges from 401 to 450 ('severe').
• GRAP Stage 4 is implemented when AQI crosses 450, categorised as 'severe plus'.