Delhi schools will run classes up to Class 5 in hybrid mode as air pollution rises in the capital, allowing parents and students to choose between online and in-person learning. The arrangement applies to government, government-aided and private schools across Delhi.
The Education Directorate’s school branch issued instructions to school heads on November 6 to ensure that classes up to Class 5 are conducted through both offline and online modes. Schools have also been asked to inform parents and guardians about the available options.
Under the directive, schools are required to continue in-person classes while also making online lessons available. Parents and students will have the right to select the mode of education they prefer. The instruction does not announce a complete closure of schools for the affected classes.
The order covers all government schools, government-aided schools and private schools. It places responsibility on school authorities to operate the hybrid arrangement and communicate the details to families. The measure has been introduced in response to deteriorating air quality and is focused on younger students up to Class 5.
The Education Directorate has also assigned district education deputy directors the responsibility of ensuring that schools in their respective areas comply with the instructions. This creates a district-level monitoring mechanism in addition to the directions issued to individual school heads.
The decision affects the daily arrangements of children, parents and schools. Families that choose online learning will need to coordinate attendance and lessons remotely, while schools will have to conduct classroom teaching and online instruction at the same time. Parents who choose in-person classes can continue sending students to school under the hybrid arrangement.
Delhi’s response links school operations to the city’s seasonal air-pollution management. Rather than stopping classes for younger students altogether, the directive gives families a choice of learning mode while requiring institutions to maintain both systems. The supplied report does not provide a specific air-quality reading, end date or further restrictions for older classes.
School heads have been directed to implement the hybrid system, inform parents and guardians, and follow the Education Directorate’s instructions. District education officials are expected to monitor compliance across their jurisdictions.
