Delhi keeps classes up to grade 5 hybrid as air stays 'very poor'

As of 8:11 p.m. ET, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026

Schools in Delhi remained under orders Monday to offer classes up to grade 5 in hybrid mode, as air quality in India's capital stayed in the "very poor" range after the Diwali holiday.

Delhi's average air quality index over the 24 hours to 4 p.m. local time Monday was 344, in the "very poor" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin. PM2.5, fine particulate matter, was the main pollutant. The reading was down from 376 on Sunday and 382 on Friday, the bulletins show.

Readings were worse at many individual stations overnight. Fifteen monitoring stations recorded an AQI above 400, the "severe" range, early Monday, India Today reported, with Sonia Vihar the highest at 449.

What the order requires

Delhi's Directorate of Education ordered on Friday, Nov. 6, that all government, government-aided and recognized private schools under its control, along with schools run by the New Delhi Municipal Council, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Cantonment Board, hold classes up to grade 5 in hybrid mode, the Hindustan Times and the Press Trust of India reported.

Students may attend in person or online, according to the circular as reported by PTI. School heads were told to inform parents immediately, and district education officials were told to visit schools to make sure the order is carried out, the reports said.

The directorate said it acted to comply with an order by the Commission for Air Quality Management invoking Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, across Delhi and the National Capital Region, according to the reports.

Why Stage III was invoked

The commission's GRAP subcommittee invoked Stage III "with immediate effect" on Nov. 6 after Delhi's daily average AQI reached 382, the Indian government's Press Information Bureau said. Weather forecasts indicated the AQI was likely to slip into the "severe" category in the coming days, the release said. Its advice to residents included following "hybrid mode for primary schools and work-from-home when instructed."

As of Monday, there was no general order closing schools across Delhi-NCR, News18 reported. Some parents have called for schools in the region to close from Nov. 10 to 15, the outlet said. Moving to Stage IV would require a separate decision by authorities, News18 noted.

The pollution control board classifies an AQI of 301 to 400 as "very poor" and 401 to 500 as "severe."