The Institutional School Teachers Union (ISTU) is preparing to launch indefinite strike in schools across the country beginning Thursday.

The ISTU has obtained support from pro-Maoist Educational Republican Front in the agitation, which it has launched to press the government and private school operators to implement earlier agreement regarding increasing salaries and benefits of private school teachers at par with those from government schools.

The ISTU, which has been gheraoing Education Ministry and departments for the last few days have announced indefinite strike from May 18.

On the other hand, the Private and Boarding Schools Organisation of Nepal (PABSON) and National-PABSON – umbrella organisations of over 8,000 private schools – have warned that they will not pay salaries to teachers during the period of strike.

Umesh Shrestha, president of PABSON, who led a rally to deliver their memo to the Education Ministry, on Wednesday, has appealed to the ministry, Prime Minister, and eight parties to pay serious attention to the problem and resolve it through negotiation with the agitators.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Education and Sports Mohan Singh Rathore has urged the agitators to first drop their strike and come forward for talks. “There is nothing that we cannot sort out through dialogue,” he said.