A committee comprising members of the civil society met minister for Education and Sports Bimalendra Nidhi Sunday and asked him to immediately initiate dialogue with the All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) to end the education strikes.

The committee that was formed on Saturday, consisting of human rights activists, private school operators, students and guardians submitted a memorandum to the minister demanding serious steps to solve the problems through dialogue.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, a rights activist who heads the committee, asked the government side show flexibility on some of the demands of the rebel students so that an early resolution could be found.

In response, Nidhi said the ministry was doing all it could to hold talks with the ANNISU-R representatives. “The government is seriously trying to settle the problem at the earliest,” he said.

On how the government was arranging talks with the Maoist students who have been labeled terrorists, the minister said: “It is not necessary that negotiations are held face to face. It can also be held indirectly.”

The team members had also asked the government to remove the terrorist tag labeled on the organization so that it will be easy to bring the rebel students to the negotiating table.

The ANNISU-R announced indefinite strikes in schools all over the country last Sunday demanding the government remove the terrorist tag and free all the student leaders captured by the government forces.

The organization has also demanded heavy cuts in the fees charged by private schools.