Schools up to class 5 in hybrid mode in Noida and Greater Noida as pollution rises

In view of rising pollution in Noida and Greater Noida, orders have been issued to provide education in hybrid mode for students up to class 5 from Thursday, according to a report by News18. This decision has been taken due to the implementation of stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR. Under this arrangement, students will be able to attend classes both online and offline.

This directive will apply to all government, government-aided, and recognised schools in Gautam Buddha Nagar district. This important decision has been taken amidst the continuous decline in regional air quality. According to a report by news agency PTI, this order was issued on 7 November by the office of the District Basic Education Officer (BSA) in compliance with the directives issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on 6 November.

According to District Basic Education Officer Rahul Pawar, this order has been issued in accordance with the CAQM directives corresponding to the implementation of GRAP stage 3 in Delhi-NCR. Under clause 8(ii) of the CAQM directives, hybrid mode classes have been made mandatory for students up to class 5 for schools in Delhi and Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar districts.

In this new arrangement, students have been given the option to choose online lessons where online facilities are available or to physically attend school. The CAQM has also permitted other state governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) to consider implementing hybrid classes for students up to class 5 in their respective areas.

The Gautam Buddha Nagar education department has instructed school principals and managers to ensure immediate compliance with this order. The department has also warned that if negligence is shown or if these instructions are violated, appropriate action will be taken against the concerned schools under the applicable rules.

This decision was taken as the air quality in Noida and Greater Noida remained in the 'poor' category. According to official data quoted by PTI, the average 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) in Noida was recorded at 291 during the period from 4 pm on Tuesday to 4 pm on Wednesday, while the AQI in Greater Noida remained at 257. Both cities were in the 'poor' category.

However, at some locations including Sector 62 and Sector 1 in Noida, real-time AQI readings exceeded 300 during this period, entering the 'very poor' category, which can have adverse effects on human health. On the other hand, the average 24-hour AQI in Delhi was recorded at 313 on Wednesday, placing it in the 'very poor' category.

According to source-apportionment estimates from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), secondary organic aerosols emerged as the largest contributing factor to Delhi's pollution on Wednesday, accounting for 22.7 per cent of the total pollution load. This was followed by domestic solid biofuel burning at 22.3 per cent and vehicle emissions at 19.3 per cent.