KATHMANDU: Nepal Educational Republican Forum has decided to put off their protest programme and allow the schools to function from tomorrow.

The umbrella organisation of the agitating teachers’ unions agreed to reopen the schools following the government’s assurance to fulfil the teachers’ demands.

Hom Kumar Thapa, vice president, NERF, told The Himalayan Times that the talks concluded when they were assured that their demands would be met. “We have been called for another meeting tomorrow. The ministers have promised to sort out our problems so we have decided to call off the protest for a few days,” he said. “We are hopeful that this government will find a way out of the row,” he said. “If the government fails to come up with programmes of immediate relief, we will act tough.”

The government yesterday formed a three-member ministerial-level talks team to negotiate with the agitating teachers. The team comprises Education Minister Ram Chandra Kushwaha, Federal Affairs Minister Dr Minendra Rijal and Peace Minister Rakam Chemjong. The teachers’ protest hampered the study of over 6.5 million students in more than 30,000 schools across the country for two days.

Earlier today, the agitating teachers had staged a sit-in in front of Ministry of Education.