Due to the increased Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi, offline classes for students from nursery to class 5 have been suspended. Issuing an order, the Delhi government said only online classes will be mandatory for these grades until further notice. “Classes for grades 6 and above will continue as per the previously issued instructions. All schools must comply with this order and inform parents immediately,” the Delhi government said in the order.
Read the official notice here:
According to a circular issued by the Directorate of Education, physical classes for students of nursery to Class-5 in all government, government-aided and unaided recognised private schools in Delhi have been discontinued until further orders.
Schools have been directed to conduct online classes
The decision has been taken due to the prevailing high Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city, it said. Schools have been directed to conduct classes for these students only in online mode. However, classes for the remaining grades will be conducted in hybrid mode, according to the directions issued by the education department on December 13.
Delhi's AQI stood in the ‘severe’ category on Monday with a reading of 427, after touching the second highest AQI on record for December on Sunday at 461. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality was ‘severe’ at 27 monitoring stations across the city on Monday, with 12 stations in the ‘very poor’ range. Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality at 475.
According to the CBCP, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
Air quality was 'severe' at 38 stations in Delhi
The air quality was 'severe' at 38 stations while it was 'very poor' at two stations. Jahangirpuri, which recorded an AQI of 498, recorded the worst air quality amongst all 40 stations. The AQI in Delhi had climbed to 461 on Sunday and marked the city's most polluted day this winter and the second-worst December air quality day on record, as weak winds and low temperatures trapped pollutants close to the surface.
The air quality monitoring station at Wazirpur recorded the maximum possible Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 500 during the day, beyond which the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) does not register data.
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