The Ministry of Education and Sports Sunday asked the agitating teachers to end their strike and sit for negotiation to address their grievances.

The ministry made the appeal issuing a press statement as the daylong bandh (general strike) called by the Nepal Educational Republican Forum in the Kathmandu Valley crippled normal life. The ministry release asked the agitators to withdraw their bandh and other protest programmes as such steps could lead to undesirable situation.

While the ministry said a meeting would be held today between the agitating side and the Minister of State for Education and Sports, Mohan Singh Rathore, the Forum is yet to respond to the talks call.

Protesting the police action on a demonstration of teachers in front of the ministry on Friday, the Forum, which is backed by the Maoist-aligned All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) and few other teachers unions, called Valley bandh today.

The Forum has also demanded public apology form the ministry for the police action.

At least 7.8 million students of over 35,000 schools across the country have been affected by the shutdown, which continues since last ten days.