Some 67,000 Lebanese teachers began a two-day strike October 20 throughout the country to protest the government's failure to meet their demands for pay raise.

　 The strike, which kept nearly 700,000 students away from classes, involves teachers at state-run elementary and intermediate schools, who claim they are excluded from a salary compromise the government reached with secondary and high-school teachers early in summer.

　 Many private elementary and intermediate schools abstained from joining the strike because they had already given their teachers salary raise that is being demanded by the striking union.

　 The crisis erupted over a student stampede from expensive private schools to cheaper state-run schools because parents could not afford skyrocketing tuition fees.

　 To cope with the influx, Education Minister Mohammed Youssef Beydoun has ordered extra curricula and an extension of the academic year from nine to 10 months.

　 But he ignored their demand by teachers for corresponding allowances as well as their original demand for equality with secondary and high-school teachers.

　 Head of the Pan-Lebanon Teachers' Union George Saadeh said that they will continue their strike until their demands are met. (Xinhua)