Air pollution widens digital divide, blocking students from online learning, say principals

As air pollution forces schools to halt or restrict physical classes, parents and teachers voice growing concerns that these quick fixes are disrupting learning, especially for students facing the digital divide and scarce resources.

A directive issued on December 15 said students from Nursery to Class 5 will move to online classes. Other students will have hybrid classes, except those in Grades 10 and 12.

Several government school principals said it is hard to run online classes because most students do not have smartphones, tablets, or laptops.

“Only 2% of our students have their own phones. Their parents have phones but need them for work. Parents either leave their phones at home or take time off to let their children attend classes, but this is not possible for everyone. Most students cannot join online classes. To help, we share homework on WhatsApp groups,” a principal said.

A government school principal said that from Class 6 onwards, about 30-35% of students come to school, 10-20% attend online, and nearly half are absent.

“Health problems are another reason for students being absent. Even those who come to class complain of dry cough and breathing issues,” the principal said.

Alka Kapur, principal of Modern Public School in Shalimar Bagh, said most students are complaining of sore throats. “At least 7-10 students in every class are absent because of health issues,” she said.

Ms. Kapur also pointed out that hybrid classes pose their own challenges, as teachers constantly juggle between the blackboard and mobile screens, breaking the flow of teaching.

Jyoti Arora, principal of Mount Abu Public School in Rohini, said that from Class 6 onwards, about 80-85% of students are attending.

Bhavreen Kandhari, co-founder of Warrior Moms, a group of women working for clean air, said that winter pollution is not new, and schools should plan their academic calendars with this in mind.

“Some women, who work as daily wagers, struggle to provide online education to their children because they have only one phone at home. It’s a constant choice between daily wage and their child’s education,” said Ms. Kandhari.