KATHMANDU: Part-time teachers of the nation's largest and oldest institution of higher education - Tribhuvan University - today announced a three-day long relay hunger strike, demanding among other things, an employment contract to the current cohort of part-time teachers.

The agitating part-timers at the university declared that they will go for the strike after a meeting of the Nepal Part-Time Teachers' Association (NPTTA) and the Tribhuvan University (TU) administration ended in a deadlock to fulfill their demands, which also include a new law for hiring fresh part-timers on contract basis.

"Despite TU's earlier commitment to send its Vice Chancellor, Rector and Registrar for discussions with our chosen five representatives, they fielded only the Rector," Govinda Luitel, central member of NPTTA told The Himalayan Times.

"The Rector said he had no time now, therefore, we left the meeting and announced the strike effective from today evening," he added. "If the authorities chose to ignore our relay hunger strike, we will opt for an indefinite fast-unto-death from the fourth day," NPTTA members warned.