By the end of next week a plan should be in place to get all Christchurch pupils back into schools, even those without a school to go to, Education Minister Anne Tolley says.
The Education Ministry was working with about 50 schools which could be ready to open but must wait for measures such as structural engineering checks, Ms Tolley told Radio New Zealand this morning.
"(We are) looking to get them open early next week, Monday and Tuesday hopefully."
There were more than 10,000 pupils whose schools can't reopen and the ministry was looking at putting re-locatable rooms onto sports grounds and using space in other schools.
Some schools were planning to share resources: Marian College was working with St Bede's sharing the latter's campus, and the same went for Avonside Girls' High School, which was splitting the day using classrooms at Burnside High School. One school uses the rooms in the morning and the other afternoon.
That will see 4000 students back in class.
About 19 high schools and between 12 and 14 primary schools probably won't reopen.
"Some will need a total rebuild," she said.
Others would need to be relocated.
The ministry was working on issues such as transport and sanitation.
In the west and north many schools would open but some children would need to learn by correspondence.
"By the end of next week we need to have made arrangements for all those students, otherwise we are really severely interfering with particularly senior students education," Ms Tolley said.
About 4300 students had re-enrolled in other schools around the country.
"That's an enormous amount of children, I think that indicates how keen parents are to see their children back in schooling."
About 70,000 people left Christchurch after the quake but Mrs Tolley said many would return when schools started and that would help with the rebuild.
The Government would help by easing enrolment rules and regulations around classroom spaces. Funding was being continued in the meantime.
