Schools in Gautam Buddh Nagar district will conduct classes for students up to Class 5 in hybrid mode from Thursday, officials said on Wednesday, in view of the implementation of Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR.
The directive, issued by the District Basic Education Officer’s office on November 7, applies to all Government, Government-aided and recognised schools in the district.
District Basic Education Officer Rahul Pawar said the order was issued in compliance with the Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) directions dated November 6, following the implementation of GRAP Stage III in Delhi-NCR.
Under Clause 8(ii) of the CAQM directions, schools in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar are required to conduct classes up to Class 5 in hybrid mode, allowing students to attend both in-person and online classes wherever the online facility is feasible.
The directions also allow other NCR state Governments to consider adopting hybrid teaching for students up to Class 5 in their respective areas. The district education department has directed school principals and managers to comply with the order immediately.
It has warned that any negligence or violation of the instructions will invite appropriate action against the concerned school as per rules.
Noida recorded an average 24-hour AQI of 291 while Greater Noida recorded 257, both in the ‘poor category’ from Tuesday 4 pm to Wednesday 4 pm, according to official data.
However, real-time AQI at various locations in Noida, such as Sector 62 and Sector 1, spiked well above 300 during the period, reaching the “very poor” category, which impacts human health.