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For children in Delhi-NCR, the school day begins with an exposure they have little choice about. Long before classrooms fill up, thousands of children are travelling through a city blanketed in toxic air. They wait for school buses, walk along congested roads and breathe pollutants even before their first lesson begins.
As air pollution continues to threaten the health of the capital, the question is no longer simply whether schools should close. It is whether our schools are doing enough to protect children from an environmental hazard that could affect their health for decades.
Children are not miniature adults. Their developing lungs, smaller bodies and longer lifetime exposure make them particularly vulnerable to polluted air.
Dr Dhiren Gupta, Respiratory and Allergy Specialist and Paediatrician at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, while speaking to NDTV explained why children face a disproportionate risk.
"When we talk about children, it is important to understand how they are different from adults. Their lungs are not yet fully developed. If I have 20 years left in my life, a child has another 80 years ahead. This means they could be exposed to these pollutants and suffer their effects throughout their lives. The long-term adverse effects of pollution will also affect children.
"Secondly, children are shorter in height. Pollution is present in higher concentrations closer to the ground. Since children are shorter, they are closer to the ground, where pollutant concentrations can be higher. This makes them more vulnerable." he says.
The concern is not limited to children who already have asthma or respiratory conditions. Even otherwise healthy children can experience irritation of the eyes and airways, coughing, breathing difficulties and worsening respiratory symptoms. Repeated exposure during the years when their organs are developing raises concerns about long-term consequences. "There has been a 5 time increase in childhood asthma cases in the last few years in this region" Dr Gupta adds.
Dr Sanjeev Bagai, Paediatric Nephrologist at Nephron Clinic, believes that the response needs to be far more decisive. He has called for schools to remain closed across age groups during periods of severe pollution.
"Children have a unique disadvantage. Their lung functional capacity and pulmonary reserve are lower than those of adults. Their immune systems are also still developing, making them more vulnerable to toxic exposure."
He also points to children's faster respiratory rates, which can increase the amount of polluted air they inhale relative to their body size. Dr. Bagai believes early-morning school schedules deserve particular scrutiny. "Children must be protected, especially during early-morning school timings. We need to defer school timings."
His warning is stark: "We are a Marlboro country. We are smoking without smoking."
But keeping schools closed indefinitely is neither a sustainable educational policy nor a long-term solution. The answer must be to make schools safer and ensure that children's health is not compromised in the name of maintaining routine.
READ | Delhi AQI: How 'Very Poor' Air Quality Impacts Even Those Without Asthma
The School Timetable Needs To Change
A school opening at 7 am or 7.30 am cannot operate as though the air outside is business as usual. Schools and education authorities must consider delaying morning classes to 9.30 am or later during severe pollution episodes, particularly when early-morning exposure is a concern.
"For the time being, school timings have to be deferred to atleast 9.30 am when the sun is out and the ground level pollution settles " Dr Bagai says.
The response must go beyond changing the school bell.
Schools need clear air-pollution protocols, including
- DELAYED SCHOOL TIMINGS: Shift opening hours during severe pollution episodes.
- HYBRID LEARNING: Enable online classes when outdoor air quality becomes hazardous.
- NO OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES: Suspend morning assemblies, sports and physical education during high-pollution periods.
- CLEANER CLASSROOMS: Invest in appropriate air filtration and ventilation systems.
- SAFER COMMUTES: Reduce children's exposure to traffic emissions while waiting for buses and travelling to school.
- REAL-TIME MONITORING: Track local and indoor air quality instead of relying exclusively on citywide AQI readings.
- HEALTH PROTOCOLS: Ensure schools can identify children experiencing breathing difficulties and other pollution-related symptoms.
Most importantly, schools need predetermined pollution thresholds that trigger preventive action. They should not have to wait for an emergency or the highest stages of GRAP before protecting children.
Education Cannot Come At The Cost Of Health
Delhi's pollution crisis is no longer just an environmental issue. It is a child-health issue, an education issue and a question of public safety.
Children cannot decide when they leave home, which route their school bus takes or how polluted the air is outside their classrooms. Those decisions rest with adults and institutions responsible for their safety.
Parents should not have to choose between sending their children to school and protecting them from toxic air. This is what most of us are having have to do now because the damage caused by years of exposure to polluted air may not be so easily reversed.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.