Bhubaneswar, Aug. 22: The agitating schoolteachers and lecturers today threatened to paralyse educational activities in the state if the government failed to fulfil their demands.

The agitators have also decided to refrain from teaching in block grant schools and colleges from tomorrow.

Thousands of teachers and lecturers, under the banner of Odisha School College Teachers and Employees' United Forum, have been demonstrating at Lower PMG Square since August 16. "Chief minister Naveen Patnaik is yet to hold discussions with us though we have been on a strike for the past seven days. So, we have decided not to take classes from tomorrow," said association convenor Prakash Chandra Mohanty.

The teachers today took out a rally from Master Canteen Square as well.

The demonstrators' demands include abolition of block grant, full grant-in-aid and permanent jobs for the college lecturers and schoolteachers.

The cease work agitation will hamper the educational activities in more than 5,500 schools and colleges across the state. While at present, more than 25,000 lectures and employees are working in more than 1,500 block grant colleges in the state, more than 4,000 block grant schools are there, in which around 35,000 teachers and other employees are working.

"If the government fails to fulfil our demands by Friday, teachers and lecturers of other remaining schools and colleges will also extend their support to us. And we will completely paralyse the educational activities across the state from Saturday," threatened Mohanty.

The agitators alleged of not getting dearness allowance, pension, service conditions and annual increment on a par with their government counterparts.

On the other hand, school and mass education minister Badri Narayan Patra, however, said they were in constant touch with the chief minister about the matter. "We have intimated the chief minister about the demands and are hopeful that the chief minister will shortly hold a discussion with the agitating teachers and lecturers," said Patra.

The parents demanded the state government to end the deadlock soon for the future of students. "Pre-test examinations are scheduled to take place in a month or two. But, classes have been disrupted for the past one week, and the teachers have also decided to shutdown the classes from tomorrow. In these circumstances, what will the students do? They are bearing the brunt of such agitation," said Gopinath Behera, father of a Class VIII student in Balianta, on the city outskirts.