Amid uncertainty, several schools have shifted to online or hybrid mode as Metro services and mobile connectivity remain affected and barricades choke arterial roads. (Express photo)
“Why disturb parents mentally everyday?” “How will we manage to take students from school?” “Children remained stuck in buses for hours?” These have been among the concerns of the parents whose children have been studying in schools in Central Delhi where daily commute has been affected amid the protest at Jantar Mantar against NEET paper leak.
Amid uncertainty, several schools have shifted to online or hybrid mode as Metro services and mobile connectivity remain affected and barricades choke arterial roads. Among the schools that are close to the protest site are Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School, Modern School at Barakhamba Road, and St Columba’s School.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood told The Indian Express on Friday that the government is not interfering in how school administrations handle the ongoing stir even as he recently convened a meeting with all Deputy Directors of Education to review broader school safety and general concerns.
On Monday, during the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, which saw the use of batons and tear gas to curb the agitation, schoolchildren were stranded in school buses for four to five hours, claimed some parents.
A parent of a student from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan said he had to wait until around 5 pm to know whether his child had reached their home in Bengali Market.
A father of a five-year-old child, who studies at Raghubir Singh Junior Modern School, recounted the ordeal faced by his wife. “Baccha hai, school intezaam karega. Rehne do unko school me. (The child is in school; the school will make the arrangements. Let them remain in school),” she was told by a security personnel, according to him.
The school on Friday said that it has shifted to online classes.
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After a school bus carrying students from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Lodhi Estate was reportedly stuck on the road for three hours, the school switched to online mode on Tuesday before adopting a hybrid mode on Wednesday and resuming physical classes from Thursday. The school also issued advisories to parents, asking them to remain in touch with bus attendants, as traffic restrictions continued.
The school transitioned to online mode for its junior wing on Friday. Meanwhile, exams for senior sections have been postponed, as per an official circular by the school and teachers instructed to hold hybrid classes for Classes 6-12.
At Modern School on Barakhamba Road, a Class 10 student said that the aftermath of tear gas use at the protest site was felt at the school campus this week. Even as the school held physical classes on Thursday, the attendance remained low, the student claimed.
Queries sent to the school related to academic disruptions by The Indian Express did not elicit a response.
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At St Columba’s School, regular classes have continued, but the school, in a notice, underlined that it delayed its inter-school festival — Columban Mélange — “in view of the prevailing situation”.
Vishal Sharma, whose child is in Class 9 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, said the school has been operating in a hybrid mode.
“The school is just five to seven minutes from Jantar Mantar, it made us (parents) deeply anxious about sending our boys to classes. Despite the chaotic environment and the unexpected scale of the protest, the management handled everything very efficiently by dispersing classes in a staggered manner through six separate gates. Students were only released after parents called the class teachers to confirm arrival. While some parents organised carpools, the situation was still tense on Wednesday.” Sharma said. He added that the school bus services especially to the inner Connaught Place and other parts of Lutyens’ Delhi had to be rerouted.
The situation has also raised questions about how schools are dealing with conversations around the ongoing protests, said Aparajita Singh, head of Delhi Parents Association. “The schools need to be sensitive to the circumstances students are navigating and ensure that their safety and emotional well-being are not overlooked amid the ongoing disruption,” she said.
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A principal of a school in West Delhi’s Dwarka said political discussions were not permitted on campus. A senior teacher, who did not wish to be named, however, said that the uncertainty surrounding the disruption was difficult to ignore, particularly for senior students concerned about their future.
A Delhi-based collective of mothers has also raised concerns over the reported use of expired tear-gas ammunition during the police action.
In a representation to the Central Pollution Control Board on Wednesday, Warrior Moms said there were credible reports that expired tear-gas shells may have been used against protesting students and citizens
and sought an independent scientific and environmental investigation.
Sophiya Mathew is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She joined the Delhi bureau in 2024, and has specialization in Integrated Multimedia Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.
Professional Background
Core Beats: Her reporting is primarily focused on the Environment and Education.
Specialization: She has gained recognition for her ground-level reporting on the Yamuna floodplains and the socio-economic challenges faced by those living on its banks. She also focuses on the disparities in Delhi's education system, ranging from elite private schools to government institutions and refugee education.
Recent Notable Articles (December 2025)
Her recent work has been heavily centered on Delhi's severe winter pollution crisis and the government's regulatory responses:
1. The Air Pollution Crisis
"A tale of two cities: Delhi govt schools choke in bad air, private classrooms set up air filters" (Dec 20, 2025): A high-impact feature contrasting the "Clean Air Bubbles" in elite schools with the reality of government school students who are exposed to an equivalent of 17 cigarettes a day due to outdoor exposure.
"Delhi sees season's worst air day, second worst December AQI in nearly a decade" (Dec 15, 2025): An analytical report on the meteorological patterns trapping pollutants in the NCR.
"Delhi bans non-BS VI vehicles from outside: Why curbing vehicular pollution is key" (Dec 17, 2025): Explaining the science behind targeting specific vehicle vintages to lower particulate matter.
2. Enforcement & Regulations
"No fuel at pumps in Delhi without valid PUC certificate from December 18" (Dec 17, 2025): Breaking the news on the environment ministry's strict "No PUC, No Fuel" policy.
3. Education Policy
"Law to regulate school fee in Delhi risks becoming procedural, say parents" (Dec 13, 2025): Investigating the loopholes in the new Delhi School Education (Transparency in Fixation and Regulation of Fees) Bill, 2025.
"Monsoon Session: Private school fee regulation Bill cleared after four-hour debate" (Aug 9, 2025): Covering the legislative passage of the controversial fee hike regulation.
Signature Style
Sophiya is known for her observational depth. Her reporting often includes vivid details from school corridors, hospital waitlists, or the banks of the Yamuna to illustrate how policy failures affect the city's most vulnerable residents. She is a frequent expert guest on the 3 Things podcast, where she explains the complexities of Delhi’s environmental laws.
X (Twitter): @SophiyaMathew1 ... Read More
