Delhi Govt to Take Call on School, College Reopening on Nov 24

The Delhi government will take a call on the reopening of schools, colleges, and other educational institutions as well as work-from-home for government staff during a review meeting on Wednesday, November 24.

“For some time, the air quality index remained above the 600–mark. However, steps taken to contain air pollution and change in the wind pattern have resulted in a gradual decline in air pollution levels,”  environment minister Gopal Rai told news agency PTI. Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 307 at 1 pm, down from 349 at 4 pm on Sunday.

Read | Will Delhi University, Schools Reopen? Kejriwal Govt to Decided in Review Meeting Today

Schools in Delhi have been shut since November 15 due to ‘severe’ air pollution levels. The Directorate of Education had earlier announced that schools, colleges as well as government offices will remain closed till further orders. In the meantime, online education will continue as it was during the pandemic imposed lockdown.

Schools had reopened in Delhi on September 1 for classes 9 to 12 and for the rest of the classes on November 1. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, however, had to shut down schools once again and allowed only virtual classes due to the rising air pollution. Earlier there were reports that the government is also considering a complete lockdown if the situation worsens.

Also read| West Bengal Schools Reopening: Classes 9 to 12 on Alternative Days, Check Important Guidelines

Not just Delhi, schools in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, and Jhajjar were also shut down last week due to the worsening air pollution levels. The Haryana government had reopened physical classes for students of 6 to 12 in July, classes 4 and 5 on September 1, and classes 1 to 3 from September 20.

Meanwhile, most of the other states including West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, etch have reopened schools. Gujarat resumed physical classes for students of 1 to 5 from today, however, online classes will continue at the same time for those who do not want to attend physical classes.

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