Schools nationwide are now closed for the rest of the year, following the re-implementation of the CMCO in most states. These long-term school closures will exact a high cost in students’ learning outcomes and their wellbeing. But even when schools opened, parents didn’t rush to send their children to school. Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Prof. Ganakumaran Subramaniam, Head of School of Education, University of Nottingham Malaysia on calibrating our policy responses.