Schools to reopen, today, outdoor activities on hold, say principals
NEWDELHI: Delhi schools are set to reopen on Wednesday, as scheduled, after the city’s air quality improved from the ‘severe’ level to the ‘very poor’ category of the air quality index on Tuesday. The Delhi government had announced last Friday, when the air quality dipped to ‘severe plus’ level, that schools would remain shut until November 5.
Wednesday is also the first day of schools since the odd-even scheme began. Parents going to drop or pick children are exempted from the scheme.
On Tuesday, Delhi recorded an average AQI reading of 324, at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. This was an improvement from Monday, when the overall AQI was 407—seven notches into the ‘severe’ category. This was a considerable improvement from Sunday’s AQI of 494, the worst air day in Delhi since 2016.
Principals of schools said they would continue suspending outdoor activities. “As per the advisory, we will ensure no outdoor activity is conducted when schools reopen Wednesday. We will also ensure all students wear masks and encourage others to do so,” said Rajpal Singh, principal of RPVV, Dwarka Sector 10.
Ameeta Mohan, principal of Amity International School in Pushp Vihar, said, “We are taking measures such as spreading awareness on various anti-air pollution measures, including procuring masks. We are also encouraging students to get more air purifying plants, since not everybody may have air purifiers. Outdoor physical activities will continue to be suspended.”
“We distributed fruits rich in Vitamin C among our students as it has properties to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution. If the situation worsens, we could also change the school hours — delaying it by an hour in the morning and wrapping it up early in the evening, since the pollution is worst during that time,” said Awadhesh K Jha, principal of Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Rohini.
On November 1, CM Arvind Kejriwal had distributed N95 anti-pollution masks to students.