Delhi primary schools to run online classes in view of rising pollution, says CM Atishi

NEW DELHI: All schools up to Class 5 in Delhi will switch to online learning till further directions in view of rising pollution levels in the city, Chief Minister Atishi said on Thursday. With pollution reaching alarming levels, the central pollution watchdog CAQM imposed restrictions under GRAP Stage III in Delhi-NCR earlier on Thursday.

The national capital's air quality remained in the 'severe' category for a second consecutive day, prompting the authorities to impose the stringent anti-pollution measures. The restrictions will come into force from Friday.

"Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions," Atishi, who also holds the education portfolio, said in a post on X.

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Measures under the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) announced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) include shifting schools up to Class 5 to online mode. GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) is classified under four different stages of adverse air quality in Delhi: Stage I -- 'poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II -- 'very poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III -- 'severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV -- 'severe plus' (AQI >450).