Attendance low, sick leaves rising but Noida schools delay hybrid shift, ETEducation
Noida: Seema Shah’s 12-year-old son has not attended school for the past five days. Since last week, he has been suffering from an upper respiratory tract infection. “The pollution is unbearable. At home, we at least have an air purifier,” she said. She wants her son’s classes to be shifted online.
As pollution soars across NCR, schools in the city are witnessing a sharp dip in attendance with many students falling ill due to the toxic air. Yet most schools await govt directives to shift to online or hybrid classes.
On Tuesday, Delhi directed all schools to conduct classes for students up to Class 5 in hybrid mode with immediate effect. However, no directive has been issued by the Noida administration so far.
According to school principals, several students have complained of headaches, coughs and respiratory issues over the past few weeks.
The principal of Grads International School, Greater Noida, Aditi Basu Roy, said that they have started online classes on Monday as the attendance was stuck at around 60% last week. “However, a few parents urged us to wait for a govt order,” she said. “We are now planning a hybrid model, but it’s difficult to conduct classes effectively in online or hybrid mode.”
Another parent Ramesh Yadav, said, “Schools are shut here every month—be it heavy rain, extreme summer, pollution, election duty or winter. Studies are getting hampered. Govt must take education seriously and act strongly on pollution prevention measures,” he said.
Most schools have suspended outdoor activities to safeguard students’ health. The principal of Bal Bharti School, Asha Prabhakar, said, “We are waiting for a govt order. Students are falling ill every day. At least eight to nine teachers are on sick leave daily. Everyone is coughing. We’ve stopped all outdoor activities, but it’s very tough for kids who want to go out and play.”
Experts warn that prolonged exposure to high levels of pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, and nitrogen dioxide (NOâ‚‚) can have a severe impact on the respiratory system, particularly in children. NOâ‚‚ and other harmful particles in the air can penetrate deep into the lungs, aggravating conditions like asthma and bronchitis, and reducing overall lung function in the long term.
Air quality in the city showed only marginal improvement on Tuesday. AQI dropped slightly from 425 to 408 but remained in the ‘severe’ category. In Greater Noida, it improved from 406 to 388, and in Ghaziabad, from 390 to 360, still in the ‘poor’ category.
Source link
