Delhi NCR Schools Holiday News: North India is reeling under the cold wave and in view of this several state administrations and governments including Delhi NCR has ordered private and government schools to shut down for physical classes. Several others have ordered the change in the school hours. Also, classes from nursery to 8 in UP's Noida schools are suspended till January 17. While Classes 9 and 11 will shift to hybrid mode. The Delhi Directorate of Education (DoE) Wednesday directed all schools to conduct hybrid classes for students up to Class 9 and that of Class 11 after curbs under stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were invoked in the city amid a sharp dip in air quality. In a circular, the DoE stated, “All heads of government, government-aided, unaided private schools under DoE, NDMC, MCD, and the Delhi Cantonment Board are directed to conduct hybrid classes for students up to Class 9 and 11, wherever online learning is feasible, effective immediately until further notice.” Stage 4 curbs include a mandatory shifting of school classes, except for classes 10 and 12, to hybrid mode. Calm winds, low temperatures and foggy conditions allowed the accumulation of pollutants in the region, with the air quality index soaring from 275 on Tuesday to 396 at 6 pm on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology predicted that AQI may breach the 400 mark soon. Accordingly, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directed authorities in Delhi-NCR to "straightway invoke" all actions under stages 3 and 4 with immediate effect. During winters, the Delhi-NCR region enforces restrictions under GRAP, which categorizes air quality into four stages – Stage 1 (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage 2 (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage 3 (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage 4 (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).
