The CPM, CPI, Janata Dal, Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party requested Prime Minister Vajpayee and M M Joshi to meet the reasonable aspirations of teachers to put an immediate stop to the `stalemate'.

In a statement, Sharad Yadav (JD), Ramchandra Pillai (CPM), Atul Kumar Anjan (CPI), Abani Roy (RSP) and G Devrajan (AIFB) claimed that the strike had brought to a standstill all work in colleges and universities when they had just resumed work after summer vacations. ``Unfortunately, the government does not seem to have any sense of urgency in resolving the problems through peaceful negotiations with the leaders of the striking teachers,'' the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Goa Government has offered the pay scales recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission to the striking teachers in the state and urged them to call off theiragitation.

Briefing reporters after the first cabinet meeting of the coalition government today, Chief Minister Dr Wilfred D'Souza said earlier the recommendations of the third and fourth pay commissions had been accepted by the teachers who have struck work in response to a nationwide strike called to press for the pay scales recommended by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

However, the decision with regard to the implementation of UGC pay scales has to be taken by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and not the state government, he said.