Delhi Schools Offer Hybrid Classes as Air Pollution Worsens Before Diwali

Young pupils get an online option

November 7, 2026 · 7:00 a.m. Central / 6:30 p.m. India

Schools in Delhi have been directed to offer hybrid classes through grade five as authorities impose tougher pollution controls ahead of Diwali, according to The Indian Express.

The arrangement allows students to attend in person or online; it is not a blanket school closure. The Delhi education directive applies to government and recognized private schools, the newspaper reported.

India’s air-quality commission invoked Stage III of its graded response plan for the wider Delhi region on Friday, bringing additional measures as the capital faced worsening air.

What the air readings showed

At 10 a.m. Saturday, India’s Central Pollution Control Board recorded an air-quality index of 363 for Delhi, in the “very poor” category, Reuters reported. That was a reading at a particular time, not necessarily the current level.

Reuters also reported that IQAir ranked Delhi first among major cities in its live ranking at 10:35 a.m., with a U.S. index reading of 581. The two indices use different scales and methods and should not be directly compared.

Air quality can change by time and location. Forecasts and live rankings are snapshots; neither establishes the air quality for every neighborhood throughout the day.

What Stage III means for schools

India Today reported that the hybrid direction for younger pupils also covers specified neighboring districts and that families can choose the online option where available. The wider restrictions include limits on certain older vehicles and dust-generating construction activities.

Parents should check their school’s current instructions, since the implementation and duration of measures can change. The directive permits in-person teaching alongside online access.

A recurring winter problem

Pollution often worsens in northern India as cooler conditions trap vehicle emissions, construction dust and smoke from crop-waste burning, Reuters reported. Firecrackers associated with Diwali can add to pollution, but the available readings do not assign a precise share of this episode to any one source.

Diwali falls on Sunday this year. Authorities have encouraged measures intended to reduce exposure and emissions as conditions evolve.

The reported sequence

November 2: Stage II measures were invoked, according to NDTV.
November 6: Authorities invoked Stage III and Delhi’s education directorate issued the hybrid-class directive.
November 7, morning: Reuters reported the separate Indian and IQAir readings.
November 8: Diwali is scheduled.

Dates and times are local to India.