Delhi schools to remain closed till further notice amid rising air pollution levels

Till now, the residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region have experienced little to no relief when it comes to the pollution levels and deteriorating air quality in the area. Keeping this in view, the Delhi government has issued an important decision regarding physical classes in schools.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday has announced that all the schools in Delhi will remain closed till further notice and physical classes will remain suspended due to the rise in the pollution levels in the national capital.

Even though the schools in the national capital will remain closed from Friday, December 3, the ongoing board examinations for Classes 10 and 12 will continue as per the schedule and all the academic activities will be shifted to online mode for the time being.

This decision of the Aam Aadmi Party government came after the Supreme Court on Thursday rapped the administration for resuming physical classes in Delhi schools despite the concerning pollution levels and deteriorating air quality.

AAP minister Gopal Rai said, “We had reopened schools considering the forecast that air quality would improve. However, the air pollution levels have increased again and we have decided to shut schools from Friday till further orders.”

During the hearing on December 3, the Supreme Court also called the Delhi government’s 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign to curb vehicular pollution “nothing but a popular slogan.” The bench also questioned as to why the children were going to school while adults remain working from home due to the pollution levels in Delhi NCR.

Earlier, the Delhi government had taken several measures to curb the worsening air quality in the city. These measures included the closure of several government offices and imposing work from home, promoting public transport, and deploying water sprinkling machines.

Currently, the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi has been recorded at 481 at 8 in the morning, while the air quality remains in the ‘severe’ category. The minimum temperature has also risen on December 3.