Amid high AQI, Delhi parents and teachers struggle to keep up with hybrid classes

Delhi woke up to dense smog on Monday as the air quality plunged to 'very poor' category and AQI went up to 359 at 7 am. (Photo: X/@satyawani_aman)

Delhi woke up to dense smog on Monday as the air quality plunged to 'very poor' category and AQI went up to 359 at 7 am, despite the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III in effect.

However, for many families, the more immediate challenge lay beyond the polluted air. The Delhi government’s move to shift Classes up to 5 to a hybrid mode from November 11 under GRAP-III measures has left parents, teachers, and students grappling with confusion, logistical hurdles, and unequal access to digital tools.

As the Delhi government’s November 11 circular mandating a shift to hybrid mode came into effect, students, parents and teachers across the city found themselves navigating a mix of caution, confusion and compulsion.

“All Heads of School… are directed to conduct classes… in both physical and online mode (wherever online mode is feasible) with immediate effect until further orders,” the Directorate of Education circular said.

Parents split over online vs offline classes

Several parents told Hindustan Times that the deteriorating air quality has made them favour online classes, particularly for younger children. But for many others, the practical challenges — devices, data, and the ability to monitor online learning — still outweigh the health concerns.

Pinki Soni's children's school, like others in Delhi-NCR, switched to a hybrid mode on November 11 due to worsening air quality.

Soni thought she had it figured out. With just one smartphone at home, she planned for her younger child, a Class 2 student at Mayur Vihar’s Premchand Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, to attend classes online while her Class 5 daughter went to school. But by day’s end, no online link ever came.

“A day passed after the notification and the link for online classes weren’t shared on the group. When I asked the teacher, he said classes will start once they get instructions from higher-ups and shared a few simple assignments for students,” Soni was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

The next morning, despite the smog, she sent both children to school. Soni’s experience echoes that of many parents who say the circular has brought more confusion than clarity.

‘Teachers don’t have laptops or tablets’

Teachers say the switch has exposed the ongoing disparities in access to technology and digital literacy, effectively "reopening" the deep digital divide that many hoped would be addressed after the initial pandemic crisis.

“Our teachers don’t have laptops or tablets and that’s a basic requirement for online classes,” a teacher at an MCD school in Mandoli was quoted by HT as saying.

Many families still share one phone among three children, she added.

“We don’t have a WiFi-enabled campus, and the dongle we have is sometimes recharged and sometimes not, so teachers rely on their mobile data,” the MCD school teacher added.

“The teachers have to focus on the majority of students in the class as well as pay attention to those studying from home. They are overburdened and are confused whether to focus on the class or the camera,” Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School, Rohini, was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Government schools say attendance remains strong, except among children with respiratory problems, and they are limiting online teaching to only the essentials.

“Normally, we have classes for around 4–5 hours. But for those staying at home we are offering only two classes for around 1.5 hours in important subjects like math and science,” Awadhesh Jha, principal of CM Shri Shri School, Rohini Sector-8, told the newspaper.

The hybrid model, introduced as a health precaution, has had an uneven impact across Delhi’s school system — embraced by parents concerned about pollution, resisted by those unable to manage online learning, and burdensome for teachers handling both formats simultaneously.