Residents shelter at the Yallahs Primary School in St Thomas, during Gustav.

Most schools across the island should reopen as scheduled next week, despite the devastating impact of Tropical Storm Gustav.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding said yesterday that any delay in the reopening of schools should not be extended.

According to the Prime Minister, initial reports indicate that the education sector escaped the worst of Gustav.

But he noted that some schools were now being used as emergency shelters and this could lead to a delay in the start of the new school year.

"It is possible that we might have to delay the reopening, for a few days, of those schools which were used as shelters as it may not be possible to have the shelters empty by next week," Golding said.

He noted however that schools which were not used as shelters and were not damaged by Gustav would open their doors as planned.

"Remember, we have well over 700 schools island wide and we have just a little over 100 shelters," the Prime Minister added.

Officials of the Ministry of Education expect to complete their assessment of the damage to schools over the next two days.

Most schools are expected to reopen between September 1 and September 8.