Online or offline? Delhi schools take a call on classes as air quality remains severe
An MCD school principal, on condition of anonymity, mentioned that they had been taking online classes for the past couple of days last week and have shut physical classes for students up to class 5 until further instructions from the government.
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The MCD schools have also shut physical classes for students till class five. (Express FIle Photo) As the Directorate of Education Sunday issued an advisory to shut schools due to poor air quality in Delhi, most schools are now leaning towards conducting online classes for students.
“In view of the Air Quality (AQI) of Delhi breaching the ‘severe’ category (with 400+ AQI), it is ordered that physical classes from Pre-School to Class V shall further remain suspended upto 10/11/2023,” the DoE circular stated. “For classes VI onwards, the heads of schools shall have the option either to call students for physical classes or conduct them online, depending on the digital infrastructure & readiness of the school to conduct online classes,” the circular further said.
Several schools The Indian Express reached out to stated that they would prefer moving towards online teaching, but are amidst making a concrete working plan to implement it effectively from this week.
Jyoti Bose, Principal of Springdales, Dhaula Kuan, said, “No student should be exposed to this pollution and we are mostly leaning towards moving to online teaching. We have not yet sent out any instructions to parents, as Monday will be the first working day after the weekend when the school administration will meet to draw a proper plan and follow essential practices.” Bose added that they will also take into account the attendance of students in classrooms on Monday.
On the other hand, a few schools have already informed parents to not send their children to school. Minakshi Kushwaha, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan, Pushp Vihar, said, “Parents of students from Nursery to class IX have been informed that there won’t be any physical classes until Tuesday. We are also following the DoE guideline of suspending physical classes for class V students until November 10.”
Kushwaha further added, “Students of classes X, XI, XII will be coming to school, we do not want to disturb their timetable as this is a crucial time for them to prepare for their board exams.”
Meanwhile, in schools like Modern Public School, Shalimar Bagh, students until Class V have been asked not to go to school until November 10, and they continue to function in physical mode for students from classes six to twelve. “The alarming Delhi pollution levels have led to adverse health effects, with many students and citizens experiencing discomforts such as sore throats, cough, and burning eyes. We stand in full support of the Delhi government’s decision to shut all schools in the city to keep the students safe. During these challenging times, our students have embraced online learning and adhered to preventive measures like wearing masks,” said Principal Alka Kapur.
The MCD schools have also shut physical classes for students till class five. An MCD school principal, on condition of anonymity, mentioned that they had been taking online classes for the past couple of days last week and have shut physical classes for students up to class 5 until further instructions from the government.
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