As thousands of school children head back to school on Monday, Minister of Education Claris Charles has announced that students and parents may have to make some sacrifices in the upcoming months.

Minister Charles made this disclosure at a Scholarship award ceremony held last week in St. George's. She told the gathering that the infrastructure work on some schools is not as the ministry would like it to be, and that many schools would have to go back to the shift system for the new school year.

Several schools on the island were forced to conduct classes under a shift system whereby some students attend classes in the morning period and others in the afternoon. Most of the school buildings on the island lost their roofs from the passage of Hurricane Ivan a year ago.

Minister Charles admitted that the Keith Mitchell-led government was unable to re-build all schools as was hoped in time for the new school year. She blamed this on the lateness of Funding Agencies to deliver on their financial commitment to government, as well as the lack of labour and the shortage of places to store lumber and other building supplies.

Minister Charles said that Grenadians are resilient people and was hopeful that with God's grace the people will make it.