Delhi Schools Winter Vacations: Schools To Shut From Nov 9 Till Nov 18 Due To Plummeting Air Quality

The government of Delhi on Wednesday announced that all schools in the city will remain closed from November 9 (Thursday) till November 18 for the winter vacations. Winter break for schools in Delhi have been ordered much earlier than usual this time as the city struggles with continuous deterioration in its air quality. 

Delhi government announces early winter break in schools from 9th to 18th November amid severe air pollution in the national capital pic.twitter.com/g9TDdHouot

— ANI (@ANI) November 8, 2023

"In the wake of implementation of GRAP-IV measures due to Severe + Air Quality prevailing in Delhi and seeing that no respite from such adverse weather conditions in near future is predicted by the IMD, the Winter Break for the session 2023-24 is ordered to be preponed so that schools can be totally closed and both children and teachers can stay at home," the order issued by Delhi's Directorate of Education read.

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"Accordingly, all schools shall observe Winter Break wef. 09th November 2023 (tomorrow) to 18th November 2023 (Saturday). Heads of Schools to convey this information to parents immediately. Further orders in r/o. the remaining portion of Winter Break will be issued in due course of time," it added.

(A cyclist performs stunts in front of India Gate on Kartavya Path in New Delhi as smog engulfs the area. Pic credits: ANI)

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A thick toxic haze or 'smog' continued to hang heavy over the national capital as the air quality remained in the 'severe' category on Wednesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) informed. According to the data shared by the CPCB, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar was recorded at 452, while it was at 433, 460, 382, and 413 at RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Shadipur, all in the 'severe' category.

Earlier, on Monday, the Delhi government ordered the suspension of physical classes for all students up to class 9. The order was issued in accordance with the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage 4 which was imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CQAM) in view of the worsening levels of air pollution in Delhi-NCR.

(With inputs from ANI)