While pollution levels remained hazardous on Monday, schools in the national capital reopened, leaving parents anxious about the health of their children.
Schools in NCR towns will, however, re-open on Tuesday. Those in Gurugram and Ghaziabad will start two hours late to keep children from the toxic haze. Schools in Noida will not tweak their schedule. Outdoor activities and sports events will, however, remain suspended in all NCR schools.
A group of parents wrote to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to voice their concern. "The Delhi government should have shut classes, at least for primary students. I'm really worried about the health of my 7-year-old daughter," said Shramistha Saini, mother of a Class 2 student at Ahlcon International School.
"We can't force small children to wear masks. I make my 8-year-old son wear a mask but he throws it away. It's better for him to stay at home," said Anjana Singh, mother of a Class 7 student.
"Primary school children should not get exposed to this smog. The government should order schools to suspend at least primary classes for three more days or the schools themselves should take this initiative," said Sumit Vohra, founder, admissionsnursery.com.
School authorities said that shutting classes is not the answer to the problem. Ameeta Mulla Wattal, principal, Springdales School, Pusa Road, said, "These are just knee-jerk reactions. The government has to look at workable solutions to deal with a problem of this level. Even delaying timings won't help, as children are used to a body clock."
A principal of a Delhi government school said, "It is difficult to wrap up the syllabus if schools are shut several times. Also, some schools have half-yearly tests going on. Shutting classes will affect the overall schedule as well as the students' study patterns."
"Children should wear masks whenever they go out. While it is not a foolproof method to avoid pollutants, it certainly helps in prevention. Also, fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C should be consumed to combat the ill effects of Delhi's smog. Immune system boosting herbs like neem, tulsi and haldi also help," said Dr Mukesh Goel of Apollo Hospital in Delhi.