The dharna was accompanied by slogan shouting and handing over of memoranda to the district authorities. The agitation will continue till Saturday.

Agitating under the banner of the Surat Shahar Manya Khangi Prathamik Shikshak Sangh (SSMKPSS), the teachers are demanding wages on par with those of government schools, implementation of provisions of schedule F and other benefits. A State-wide protest rally has been planned at Gandhinagar on Monday, Dipak Patel, president of SSMKPSS said on Thursday evening.

Issuing an ultimatum to the authorities, Patel said in the release that the organisation would be forced to resort to more stringent means of protest if the district authorities and state education department authorities did not take steps to ``check the rampant corruption and injustice in private primary schools''.

``Rampant corruption and irregularities are going on unchecked in these schools on the pretext of education and the district authorities are party to the whole thing as they do not take action,'' Patel alleged and stated that he had received instructions from the State leaders of the organisations to intensify the stir if talks with the education minister and chief minister fail.