The UN children's fund Unicef said aid agencies had a huge task ahead of them if they were to get young children back to school by September in the aftermath of the war.

Three months of war destroyed many schools

A preliminary survey of 394 of Kosovo's 1,000 or so primary schools for children aged between seven and 14, found more than a quarter had been set alight and a further 17 shelled.

About 95% needed repairs to doors and windows, while 43% were left severely damaged or destroyed.

About 150 had to have new roofs and 169 have not even been cleared of mines.

Looting of furniture and equipment has meant there is a need for more than 28,000 desks, 58,000 chairs and 2,000 blackboards.

The report's author, Assistant Project Officers for Unicef Pristina Flaka Surroi, said Unicef was determined to get all the children in full-time education by the autumn.

"We have already begun supplying thousands of notebooks, pencils, chairs and desks to shcools in Kosovo and we will be working with other partners to rehabilitate school buildings wherever possible," she said.

"Sometimes we will provide glass for windows, repair roofs and paint interiors," she added. "Where schools have been completely destroyed, we will have to find alternative buildings for children, maybe even residential housing."