KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 -- Former education minister Maszlee Malik has urged the Education Ministry to address the trust deficit among the rakyat over its ability to handle the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said the recent decision by the ministry to reopen all schools nationwide on September 1 was universal for all schools, without taking into account scientific data and the differences in needs between urban, rural, and interior schools.

"This deficit towards the ministry is most serious, and indeed among teachers the pressures they face are very worrying," Maszlee said in a Facebook post.

A similar scenario is also being faced by parents and students, due to a lack of orderly and strategic planning and implementation by the ministry.

"I have...