Pathways School reopens its campus with bettering of city's air quality

Noida/Gurgaon, Dec 1 (IANS) With the improvement in the city's air quality, Pathways group of Schools has reopened its campus for students.

Considering the health of students, teachers and other staff members, which has always been one of the school's priorities, the institute has undertaken significant measures, ensuring fresh and clean air in and around its vicinity.

Pathways school has installed an advanced central air conditioning system in order to maintain the healthy air quality in its premises. Fresh air is constantly pumped inside the building through the Treated Fresh Air (TFA) handling units.

The TFAs are powered with smart filters that arrest the outdoor atmospheric pollution and strain the air before entering the buildings. Besides, the school has central atriums with ventilation alongside the ceiling level to complete the cycle. Hence, the air circulating in the indoor areas is filtered fresh air, which is constantly ventilated out into the atmosphere. It keeps the pollutants being generated inside the building. The entire process keeps the Indoor Air Quality fresh and healthy.

Besides TFA, the school's green campus helps in reducing the effects of pollutants. The institution built across the vast land (PSG and PSN on 10 acres, PWS on 36 acres) has buildings or concrete structures in only about 18-20 per cent of the land. The rest of its campus areas entails open playfields and large plantations. The school has thoughtfully and strategically planted thousands of trees of varied species in its open area to provide the much-needed green cover to the institution. It has a dense plantation along its boundary walls, mainly comprising of trees that grow tall and thick, providing sunshade to the school.

With this, any air entering the campus gets naturally filtered. Further, the school has carefully landscaped the periphery of all the buildings with a dense plantation, which cuts the heat and keeps the structures cool. Regular watering of these trees creates evaporation, which lowers the temperature, relatively creating a cooler atmosphere.

Commenting over the school's decision to reopen the institution, Prashant Jain, Co-Founder Pathways School, said, "Pathways has always remained resilient and agile in ensuring safety, health and hygiene for its fraternity. The school is equipped with most modern HVAC systems that filters the air entering the buildings thus constantly maintaining a healthy AQI which is monitored at regular intervals. We are very grateful for the support and faith showed in us by our students and their families. We have incorporated all the required measures to provide clean and safe study space to students. Besides, we have also introduced a provision allowing students with the delicate respiratory system to attend physical or virtual classes at their own discretion. For students attending physical classes, it is mandatory to use face masks and follow regular safety precautions against the ever-present Covid-19 as well as air pollution."

Sharing her experience regarding the school's timely updated regulations, promptness and flexibility, Smita Anand, a parent whose three children are studying at the Pathways School, said, "The school authorities have been very responsive and considerate in incorporating measures to treat its indoor air quality, which is a big relief for me, knowing the air quality in NCR has reached alarming levels. The school has always been prompt and transparent in its communication as we received the mail well-in time regarding the school's opening. Besides, the school has made a smooth and effective transition from in-person to online classes, relieving parents like me of children's academic performance. The school's proactiveness has instilled a lot of confidence in us that our children are in competent hands."

The school has also installed several plants inside the buildings along the corridors and on the periphery of central atriums, both in pots and flower beds. These plants are carefully chosen basis their ability to absorb Co2 and transmit oxygen. These plants not only help in adding to the serenity and beauty of the school's ambience but also maintain its Indoor Air Quality.