Delhi Resumes Physical Classes For All Schools From Monday; Bars Outdoor Activities

The Directorate of Education, Delhi has ordered the schools in the national capital not to organise any outdoor activities like morning assemblies and sports for a week.

New Delhi: The Directorate of Education in Delhi has issued a directive for the reopening of in-person classes for all grade levels, spanning from pre-school to class 12. As per the official order from the Directorate, both government and private schools in the national capital are instructed to resume physical classes starting November 20, 2023.

However, the Directorate has imposed a temporary restriction on outdoor activities such as sports and morning assemblies until the following week. This decision to resume physical classes aligns with the slight improvement observed in the air quality in the national capital.

Earlier today, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) sub-committee lifted GRAP IV in Delhi-NCR due to the progressing AQI in both the national capital and its surrounding regions. However, the sub-committee stated that the actions under Stages-I to Stage-III of the GRAP will remain in effect to avoid the slip of the AQI (Air Quality Index) into 'severe' category.

On Saturday, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with the city's overall AQI reaching 340, as per data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

"The GRAP is an emergency response action plan invoked with a view to arrest further deterioration of adverse air quality scenario in NCR. (ii) Restrictions under GRAP Stage-IV are disruptive and impact a large number of stakeholders and public at large. (iii) In wake of the Delhi AQI falling 'Severe + Category (AQI crosses 450), the GRAP Stage-IV actions were invoked on November 2023 based on the AQI," it stated.