Minister for Education Norma Foley is set to meet teachers' unions on Tuesday to discuss the reopening of schools this week.
Primary and second school students are set to return to classrooms on Thursday, January 6 after the Christmas break.
However, concerns have been raised over whether schools will actually welcome back pupils as planned as Omicron cases continue to surge nationwide.
Minister Foley said in recent days that infection prevention measures in schools are being kept under "constant review".
However, the most recent update from Transport Minister Eamon Ryan indicates that educational institutions will reopen as planned on Thursday.
The Green Party leader said it is "vitally important" schools, colleges and creches open this week and he believes that while all schools "will have different circumstances", it is imperative that they are open.
Speaking to This Week on RTE Radio 1, Mr Ryan said: "I expect our schools, creches and colleges to open. I think it's really important.
"The loss if we don't have our children back in school in my mind is much larger than any other measure.
"Each school will have different circumstances, it'll be more difficult for primary rather than secondary because it's more difficult, particularly for a smaller school, to get a relief teacher in.
"But I think what our schools have done very well is manage through Covid. I don't think the solution should be shutting down schools."
He continued: "I think what we should do and will do is look at the likes of the measures that the US have introduced.
"Their Centre for Disease Control, recognising that that is an issue, have adapted some of their measures around close contacts.
"I think what we want to do is to look at what the international evidence is and what evidence they call on to see could similar measures help here."
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has also reiterated that schools will welcome back pupils as planned after the Christmas break.
“The plan is for the schools to reopen. The schools are very controlled environments," he said on Friday.
“All of the information that I’ve been given, all of the advice I have says that whilst of course you can get infection within the schools, they are substantially safer, for example, than children being outside of schools.
“There’s an awful lot of safety protocols in place, an awful lot of measures that are in place - CO2 monitors, pods, masks and a lot of other things - so, I don’t think it’s fair to characterise the schools as you have.
“They have shown consistently that the level of infection in the schools is substantially lower than in the community."
