The educational system has never faced the kind of operational uncertainty it has faced in the last 20 months. A few weeks from the beginning of the scholastic year, heads of schools, parents, and teachers are baffled by the educational authorities’ lack of clear guidelines.

Admittedly the development of COVID-19 remains unpredictable with the consequence that the health authorities often have to reverse decisions aimed at accelerating the return to normality. No one can seriously challenge the concept that the government should give safety the highest consideration when issuing public health directives.

However, the long-term effects of preventing students from returning to the classroom after almost two years of disrupted teaching methods must never be underestimated. Students benefit from in-person learning, and safely returning to in-person instruction in autumn is also a priority.

The scant information coming from the education authorities indicates that post-secondary students will return to in-person learning in September. The majority of these students have been vaccinated, and as such, they present a lower risk of getting seriously ill if they contract COVID-19.

However, primary and secondary schools are likely to operate similarly to last year. This means mandatory indoor mask-wearing for all students, staff, teachers and visitors to primary and secondary schools regardless of vaccination status. It also means that the concept of the bubble will still be observed to prevent unnecessary contact.

Parents are understandably worried by the uncertainty that still prevails. They expect the government to issue clear guidelines as soon as possible to help them decide how best to manage their children’s education in the coming scholastic year.

Teachers’ unions fret because of the unclear direction coming from the education authorities. Teachers need time to adapt to any restrictions that may affect the way they teach. Meetings planned for the beginning of September between the education department and the teachers’ unions leave inadequate time for a smooth reopening of schools.

While the uncertainty that COVID-19 has brought about in various aspects of our lives is inevitable, we need to learn how to live with the pandemic and the obstacles it brings to organising our daily activities. The health authorities should be issuing clear guidelines to different sectors of society on how best to manage their daily commitments safely but pragmatically. So far, the educational sector guidelines have not been clear enough, thereby causing unnecessary anxiety to parents, teachers, and children.

For instance, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention issues regular and frequent guidelines to the education authorities on preparing for the opening of the next scholastic years. These detailed guidelines are updated constantly and aim to strike a balance between educational and health priorities. The local educational authorities will do well to adopt a similar communication strategy.

So far, children below the age of 12 are not eligible for vaccination. So, it is understandable that prevention strategies should be layered to minimise the risk of another surge in infections.

But parents, teachers, students and their relatives need to be better informed on what the health and educational authorities are planning, even if there may be occasions when previous guidelines are discarded.

At a time of crisis, transparent, honest information is the only way societal leaders can mitigate people’s anxiety caused by uncertainty.