Panellists at an online forum titled “Buka Sekolah 1 September Wajarkah?” agreed that getting children back to school must be a priority, but said health considerations should not be compromised.

World Health Organization Science Council member Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman said the decision to reopen schools must be taken at a more localised level rather than nationally, taking into account the specific circumstances of communities.

“It cannot be a one-size-fits-all, and the decision to open or stay closed must be based on many, many criteria, such as the vaccination rate of the teachers as well as the wider community around the respective schools,” she said.

Adeeba said restarting physical classes would be less of a risk in areas with low case numbers and high vaccinations as children are less likely to catch and transmit the virus when they congregate in class.

Upon reopening, she said, children should also not be restricted from going outdoors to play with their friends, as social interaction is an important element of childhood development and is a low-risk activity when performed in an open-air environment.

Former education minister Maszlee Malik agreed that a blanket strategy was not the right one, adding that undertaking risk assessments at the local level would be useful for children in rural areas.

“It makes sense for schools in the interior and rural areas to open, because they are unlike schools in urban areas which are congested.

“Schools in those areas, like Orang Asli schools in Sabah and Sarawak, do not have as many students and they are very open to the environment and ventilated, and in most of these cases, they are in green areas and have no infections.”

He said education in rural areas is important because many do not have adequate resources to learn effectively online, and a prompt return to class would reduce the educational inequity many have faced during the closure of schools.