NEW DELHI: Delhi’s primary schools resumed after two days of disruption. The city government announced a shutdown of primary schools on November 6 due to dangerous level of air pollution. However, only a day later, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced the reopening of these schools due to an improvement in the air quality index. Despite this, fewer primary students showed up at the schools, and parents who did come to send their children to school, expressed conflicting opinions about the schools’ reopening.
A parent named Madan Lal said he is confused between worrying about his child’s education and its health as he arrived at the government school in Sarita Vihar, Delhi, to drop off his son. “I am unable to continue wasting my children’s education. The first three years of school were lost to COVID, and now there is air pollution. I advised to my son wear a mask. ” he added.
Another parent supported the government’s decision to reopen the primary classes and said, “I think we should get used to this condition. If physical education is discontinued, the government will introduce an online learning option, which is less effective than traditional classroom teaching.” Yeshpal Singh Malik, president of the Government School Teachers’ Association (GSTA), said that as parents are concerned about their kids’ health , attendance at primary classes remained lower than normal days.
Malik continued by saying that teachers are also concerned about the health of the students and that schools had asked parents to send their children to school with appropriate masks. Aparjita Gautam, president of the Delhi Parents Association, condemned the government for poor preparations to tackle air pollution. She said “We all have been aware that air pollution will increase in winter but still
government did not take any major action.
Our children’s health and education are suffering as a result of the Delhi government’s failure.”