The smog effect: Delhi government directs schools to go online from hybrid up to class 5; here’s what parents need to know

The Delhi Government has issued an urgent directive ordering schools to adopt digital classes for students up to class 5, as the national capital continues to face acute smog and extremely high levels of air pollution. This new measure, amid deteriorating health hazards due to highly polluted Air Quality Index values, temporarily stops physical classes for nursery to class 5 students, along with an extension of hybrid learning sessions for senior students in the entire national capital and surrounding areas of the NCR region.

Here's what led to this massive educational change, why it's important, and everything in between.

Why schools are moving online: The smog crisis explained

The air quality in Delhi has been deteriorating consistently over the past few days, and the AQI has reached ”severe to hazardous levels”, extensively surpassing the safe measure of 50. The smog has invaded Delhi and reduced the visibility significantly due to heavy smog, raising health concerns as well.

In some areas, the AQI measures even reached up to 450-500, indicating hazardous pollution levels that can cause inflammation to the lungs and heart, and can also affect people with asthma simultaneously.

This spike is expected in the winters due to several factors, including vehicle exhaust emissions, dust from construction activities and industrial production, lower temperatures, slow air movement, and the burning of agricultural crops in several neighboring states. According to experts, all these factors result in the formation of thick toxic smog that is dangerous to health.

What the government has ordered

Owing to the dangerous level of air particles in the atmosphere, the Delhi Directorate of Education has issued an educational circular that all schools — government, private, aided, and unaided — are required to cancel practical classes for students until Class 5 and shift all the teaching online until further notice. This is the first transition from the online and offline teaching mode to the online teaching mode exclusively for the lower classes.

The schools are expected to operate in the hybrid model for students above Class 5. This means students and parents get the freedom to choose whether or not to attend school in person or learn online, depending on the situation. This is in addition to being prepared for the in-person model.

Why this directive is timely and important

Although the ongoing air pollution has been affecting people of every age, irrespective of their health status, young children are far more susceptible to the adverse effects of the same. Young kids are still developing in terms of respiratory growth, and they tend to inhale at a rate that is higher than that of an adult. This means that they have the capacity to inhale more polluted air on a unit weight basis due to the high levels of air pollution, leading to physical symptoms, including:

• Coughing, wheezing, sore throat
• Acute asthma and bronchitis
• Reduced lung development in the long term
• More frequent doctor visits and medication usage

The parents, physicians, and health authorities have advised limiting their interactions with the outside environment and using protective gear such as masks, whereas for young students, it is considered best to avoid all outside classes.

The challenges ahead

Now, the transition from offline learning to online learning, while driven by concerns related to health, comes with its own share of problems, such as:

Digital divide: Not all learners might have access to the internet and a device at home, particularly in impoverished communities.

Learning effectiveness: There are pressures on teachers to make online learning effective, with online class time presenting challenges for younger children needing more supervision and assistance.

Parental support: With many parents being working individuals themselves, many will have to balance work with educating their children at home.

Despite efforts by school administrators to innovate in ways of tutoring online, many school administrators agree that tutoring online will never be a complete substitute.


While administrators and educators hope for this to be a temporary but essential step to balance educational continuity with student health, any future decisions will depend on how the air quality evolves over the coming days.