Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on Monday announced that the physical classes will be suspended for Class 10 and 12, while the teaching will be conducted in the online mode as the pollution levels in the city deteriorated to 'severe plus' pollution levels.
"From tomorrow, physical classes shall be suspended for Class 10 and 12 as well, and all studies will be shifted online," Delhi CM Atishi said in a post on X.
The announcement comes hours after the Supreme Court urged all states to consider suspending physical classes up to class 12 while hearing a plea regarding Delhi's deteriorating air quality. A bench of the apex court, comprising Justice AS Oka and Justice AG Masih, said, “All states should take an immediate call to stop physical classes of all standards up to class 12."
Physical classes are already suspended for all except for grades 10 and 12 as Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP IV) has been enforced in Delhi amid worsening air quality.
The city is grappling with severe pollution as the Air Quality Index (AQI) has plummeted to 'severe plus' category. The deteriorating air quality left people gasping for breath with itchy eyes and sore throats as the AQI stood at 494, the second-worst in the last six years.
The implementation of stage four of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was announced in the city on Sunday after the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the 400 mark, signalling severe pollution levels. Doctors raised concerns about health risks, cautioning that the toxic air can harm not just vulnerable groups but also healthy individuals.
The Delhi government had earlier ordered the closure of schools, with online classes replacing physical sessions to protect students from the hazardous air. However, the order didn't applied to Class 10 and 12 students.
"With the imposition of GRAP-4 from Today, physical classes were discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12. All schools will hold online classes, until further orders," Chief Minister Atishi had said in a post on X on Sunday.
The Directorate of Education, too, issued a circular directing the heads of government and private schools to discontinue the classes for all students, including class 10 and 12.
Meanwhile, the General Administration Department (GAD) on Monday issued an order declaring staggered timings for the government offices and the MCD, in view of severe air pollution situation in the city.
The order stated as per direction of the Lt Governor, staggered office timings as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), will be followed by Delhi government and MCD offices. The timings of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will be 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, while that of Delhi government offices will be 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM. The staggered timings will be effective till February 28, 2025, it said.