Pollution woes: Delhi government directs schools to shift from hybrid to online mode up to Class-5
Amid the ongoing spell of hazardous air in the national capital, the Delhi government on Monday (December 15, 2025) directed schools to shift classes up to Grade 5 to the online mode. The Delhi High Court, meanwhile, advised advocates and parties-in-person to appear through videoconferencing in matters listed before it and the district courts “in view of the prevailing weather conditions”.
The city logged an air quality index (AQI) of 427 (‘severe’) on Monday, marginally lower than the season’s highest reading of 461 (‘severe plus’) recorded a day earlier, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Delhi is likely to breathe ‘very poor’ category air on Tuesday (December 16), as per official data.
Several other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Ghaziabad, Noida, and Greater Noida, also recorded ‘severe’ category pollution during the day.
Adverse effects
Education Minister Ashish Sood termed the decision to suspend physical classes for younger students as a “preventative and necessary step” to protect them from the “adverse effects of air pollution”.
In a circular, the Directorate of Education (DoE) directed the heads of government, government-aided and private schools to adhere to the guidelines and disseminate the information immediately. By evening, parents were informed through WhatsApp groups, the principals said.
Classes for other students, except for those in Grades 10 and 12, will continue to be conducted in the hybrid mode, combining in-person and online teaching, as per the December 13 circular, the DoE order said. Students in these grades have been exempt in view of the approaching board examinations, said an official. For grades where hybrid mode has been made available, the option to choose between online and in-person teaching rests with the students.
‘Very poor’ days ahead
In a statement, the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said the city’s AQI is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category over the coming week.
As per the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas, the major factor behind the spike in air pollution is not emissions but a feeble western disturbance across north-west India.
“This prevailing meteorological condition has marked reduction in wind speed, at times becoming calm, a shift in wind direction from westerly to easterly, and an increase in moisture content in the lower atmosphere,” it said in a statement on December 13.
AQI is a measurement of air pollution on a scale of 0-500. A higher value suggests an increase in toxicity. An AQI reading between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, 401 and 450 ‘severe’, and 451 and 500 ‘severe plus’.
Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi-NCR and many parts of the larger Indo-Gangetic Plains, mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speeds and a drop in temperature. Pollution from stubble burning during October and November and bursting of firecrackers during the festive season worsen air quality and add to the emissions from vehicles and dust.
