The education department has convened a meeting with contract teachers on Monday to discuss their long-pending demands.

The meeting has been convened based on state education minister P.K. Shahi's statement given in the Legislative Council last week. The Opposition members had sought an explanation from the minister on what step the government was taking to solve the issue of contract teachers who were on hunger strike. Shahi had replied that the demands would be discussed on April 6.

The meeting would be held at the annexe building of Legislative Council.

However, Shahi would not be present in the meeting, as he would go to New Delhi on Monday for some work. Bihar Legislative Council chairman Awadhesh Narain Singh would preside over the meeting.

An officer on special duty in the education department said: "Apart from Singh, who would preside over the meeting, education department officials, including principal secretary R.K. Mahajan, would be present in the meeting to represent the education department."

Shahi would again meet the contract teachers on April 8. Sources said the state government wanted to solve the issue by raising the salaries of around 3.85 lakh contract teachers in Bihar working in elementary, secondary and higher secondary schools.