ABOUT 6,500 children in Zagreb will not be able to return to their own schools once the school year starts on September 7 because of the damage caused to school buildings by the March 22 earthquake, the Jutarnji List daily reported on Wednesday.

Damage caused by the quake was identified on 175 school and kindergarten buildings with 91 buildings being repaired to date.

Works are continuing on an additional 82 buildings and 69 of these should be ready for the new school year. Twelve schools however -- five elementary and  seven secondary schools -- were seriously damaged in the quake and are not safe for use hence students from those schools will have to  be relocated to other schools which until now had lessons in only one shift.

Another school that was being reconstructed in any case brings  the number of schools that will be relocated to thirteen.

Some elementary school pupils will have to attend schools in other suburbs and the city authorities have organised transport for 1,923 pupils, however a decision has not been delivered on seating arrangements in school buses, considering the epidemiological situation, the Jutranji List reported.