Due to pollution and the implementation of GRAP III ban, the administration has ordered schools to switch to hybrid teaching mode for students up to class 5.
Keeping in view the cold weather of the district, the Gautam Buddhanagar administration has instructed all the schools in the district to conduct classes from 9 am on Tuesday.
Separately, the administration has ordered schools to switch to hybrid teaching mode for students up to class 5 due to pollution and implementation of GRAP III ban.
The administration has sent a letter to all government departments to implement working hours keeping in view the GRAP III restrictions.
“Considering the extreme cold, according to the instructions given by District Officer Gautam Buddhanagar, classes will be conducted in all schools from 9 am until further orders. In this regard, all principals are directed to ensure strict adherence to the above instructions,” Dr Dharamvir Singh, District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), said in an order.
Singh told PTI that Gautam Buddha Nagar district has around 2,000 registered schools in Noida and Greater Noida. About 250 of these are affiliated to ICSE and CBSE boards while 170 are affiliated to UP Board.
In a separate order, Basic Education Officer Rahul Panwar cited restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the National Capital Region issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas.
“Headmasters and principals of all schools from class 1 to class 5 in district Gautam Budh Nagar are directed to ensure that classes are conducted in hybrid mode in compliance with the above instructions (CAQM),” the order said.
In a letter to all local government departments, District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma asked them to ensure compliance with GRAP guidelines.
State government offices have been asked to maintain working hours from 10 am to 5 pm, while offices in Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway have been asked to maintain working hours from 9 am to 6 pm. Offices under Municipal Council and Panchayats have been asked to keep their office hours from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm.
The Centre’s Air Quality Panel for Delhi-NCR on Monday called for restrictive measures under the third phase of the Air Pollution Control Scheme amid a sharp decline in air quality due to adverse weather conditions.
Noida’s 24-hour average air quality index, recorded at 4 pm daily, stood at 323, while for Greater Noida it was 358 – both “very poor”. In the review meeting, the CAQM noted that extremely calm air and “inverted Construction can “deteriorate” the AQI because it adversely affects the vertical mixing height, the height above the surface at which pollutants can be dispersed.
As per the revised scheme, schools and colleges in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar are required to mandatorily shift classes up to class five to hybrid mode under GRAP Phase III.
Students and parents will have the option to choose online education where available. Stage III also includes a ban on non-essential diesel-powered medium goods vehicles of BS-IV or older norms within Delhi. Non-essential diesel light commercial vehicles of BS-IV or older standards, registered outside Delhi are also not allowed to enter the city.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published by PTI)