Government school students would continue to suffer as talks between striking contract teachers and the education department principal secretary failed on Wednesday.

At the meeting with education department principal secretary R.K. Mahajan, members of six teachers unions, including representatives from contract as well as regular teachers, were adamant on not accepting anything less than a pay scale at par with regular teachers. The union indicated it was their only demand. Keshav Kumar, general secretary of Bihar Panchayat Nagar Prarambhik Shikshak Sangh, said: "Our only demand is that the pay-scale of contract teachers should be Rs 9,300-34,800, which is what it is for regular teachers in the state." They also wanted other facilities and benefits regular teachers get.

With today's meeting remaining inconclusive, the contract teachers' union would now meet education minister P.K. Shahi on Thursday.

Shahi had on several occasions said the state government was unable to meet the demands of contract teachers.

The 3.5 lakh contract teachers who are on strike since April 9, received strength after regular teachers, too, supported their demands. This helped bring academic activity in 73,500 government-controlled primary and middle schools and around 5,000 secondary and senior secondary schools to a standstill after April 8.

On Wednesday, too, there was no teaching at government-run schools.

Districts in the northern part of the state and those in Kosi and Mithilanchal region were badly hit, as schools remained shut.

Earlier, the state government constituted a three-member committee led by chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh to look into the problems and demands of contract teachers. Also on the committee are state finance department principal secretary Rameshwar Singh and education department principal secretary R.K. Mahajan.

The state government has asked the committee to give its report within a month. But the committee has not met yet, as officials were, so far, busy looking after relief operations following the recent natural calamities - thunder squall and earthquake.

The committee would look into the contract teachers' demands and the state government bear the burden if the demands are accepted. Sources said meeting the contract teachers' demand would be difficult, as it would be a drain on the state exchequer.

Because of the ongoing strike, the new academic session in government schools, which starts from April 1, has also got delayed. Further, this will delay matriculation examination results, as striking teachers are not participating in copy evaluation work.