Delhi Smog: Offices Get WFH Relief, But Why Are Schools Still Open?

Editorial by Gurdeep Singh, Senior Editor at BoldVoices

As Delhi battles winter smog, an urgent question emerges: if adults can work from home to reduce exposure and traffic, why should schoolchildren face a different standard?

Delhi’s winter pollution crisis has brought public health, education and government decision-making into sharp focus. Authorities have introduced restrictions on activities and office attendance, while schools have not been ordered to close completely.

Offices Get Relief, Schools Get a Partial Solution

Under pollution-control measures announced for 5–20 November 2026, government and private offices in Delhi and specified NCR districts were directed to limit physical attendance to 50%, with eligible employees working remotely. Delhi’s Directorate of Education also ordered hybrid learning for students up to Class V on 6 November, where online facilities are available. That is a partial measure, not a blanket closure, and does not extend the same arrangement to Classes VI–XII.

If pollution is serious enough to justify reduced office attendance, should the protection offered to children be broader?

Children Face Distinct Health Risks

Children’s lungs are still developing, and they inhale more air relative to their body weight than adults. School travel, waiting for buses, walking alongside traffic and time spent outdoors can add to exposure. Indoor classrooms do not automatically eliminate pollution risks. Students with asthma and other respiratory problems may be particularly vulnerable.

What Is the Government Waiting For?

The Graded Response Action Plan links interventions to air-quality conditions. It does not automatically require every school to close whenever offices reduce attendance. But compliance with a minimum framework should not end the discussion about preventive action.

Parents deserve to know which air-quality trends, health indicators and operational considerations would trigger broader school measures. It would be unfair to assume officials are deliberately waiting for a health emergency; the government should nonetheless make its decision-making criteria clear.

Education and Safety Must Go Together

School closures have real costs. Some families lack reliable internet or devices; working parents may struggle with childcare; examination-year students need continuity. A proportionate response could include temporary online classes during severe episodes, flexible attendance, recorded lessons, extra support for students without digital access and arrangements for examination classes.

Five Questions That Need Answers

1. Why is hybrid education limited to primary classes?
2. Which AQI trends or health indicators would prompt broader closures?
3. How will students without digital access be supported?
4. What accommodations are available to children with respiratory conditions?
5. Will authorities publish clear advance guidance for parents?

Protecting Children Cannot Be an Afterthought

School holidays alone cannot solve Delhi’s pollution crisis. Lasting progress requires action on transport emissions, road dust, waste burning, industry and regional sources. But immediate protection matters while long-term solutions are pursued.

Delhi’s parents are not asking the government to abandon education. They are asking why children should receive less protection than adults.

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