Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates told CNBC that it is important for young students to return to school to learn in person, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
“I firmly believe that for young children, the benefits in almost every place, particularly if teachers can be well protected, outweigh the costs,” he said in an interview that aired Tuesday in “Squawk Box.”
However, the image of back to school becomes more complicated as students grow older, the Microsoft co-founder said.
“As you reach the age of 13 or older, you will have to look at your location to decide what you will do with high schools,” he said. “And if they are not, then you have to make a great effort to try to get there to continue learning online.”
The Gates Charitable Foundation has contributed millions to coronavirus vaccine research. The tech mogul said the organization has also shifted the focus of its educational efforts in response to the public health crisis.
“Our foundation has renewed our educational work to really participate and help … improve those online capabilities,” he said. “Make sure minority students and low-income students don’t suffer any more during all of this.”
Gates’ comments come as U.S. school districts prepare plans for fall classes despite the threat of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Trump administration has recently stepped up its calls for schools to reopen entirely for the in-person class, emphasizing the social and emotional costs of not doing so.
The nation’s largest public school system in New York City has said it intends for most students to attend in-person classes two to three days a week in the fall. On the other days, students will have remote instruction. New York City school officials said limited in-person instruction is needed to allow for social distancing within the buildings.
California’s two largest school systems, Los Angeles and San Diego, now plan to start the fall academic term fully online after the state’s coronavirus outbreak worsened in recent weeks.
Younger people without underlying medical conditions are less at risk of becoming seriously ill from Covid-19. But at the center of the back-to-school debate is the likelihood of students becoming infected with the coronavirus, as well as their role in transmitting the virus to others, particularly school personnel and their families.
A recent study in South Korea provided some information, and found that children older than 10 years were at higher risk of familial transmission of the coronavirus than children younger than 10 years.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Donald Trump, said he believes schools may safely reopen in the fall. However, he told CNBC last week that the most important thing communities can do to reopen their schools is to first control the local spread of the coronavirus.
Like Gates, Gottlieb said Friday in “Squawk Box” that districts may find it easier for younger students to return to classes in person five days a week compared to older students. Social distancing may be more challenging in high schools, and older students may also be better suited to handle online learning through a hybrid model of instruction, Gottlieb said.
“I think there are things you can do across the district where you also handle different ages to make sure children stay safe in different environments,” said Gottlieb.
Disclosure: Scott Gottlieb is a CNBC contributor and a member of Pfizer’s boards of directors, Genetic testing begins Tempus and the Illumina biotech company.
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