No talks on school strike

Despite expectations, the talks could not take place on Wednesday between agitating teachers and the Education Ministry.

Although the Ministry had issued a statement inviting the agitating Nepal Educational Republican Forum for talks, the latter refused to sit in dialogue accusing the Education Minister of spreading malicious reports against them.

"The Minister (Pradi Nepal) has called us as terrorist group in his interview with Radio Nepal. We will not sit for talks before he withdraws his allegations," Guna Raj Lohani, president of Forum, told BBC Nepali Service.

The Minister, on the other hand, has refused the charge. "I have not said they are terrorists. I said they were spreading fear and terror through their baseless agitation," he said.

At the behest of the Forum, 35,000 private and public schools have remained closed since last Thursday. Over 7.8 million students have been affected by the strike. nepalnews.com sd May 23 07

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