He said this would be followed up by other meetings tomorrow.

"We are hopeful that out of these discussions something can emerge. We are always open to discussion and we are very anxious to get this thing over with," Ally said.

A meeting on Monday between top brass of the ministry and the GTU initiated by the Ministry of Labour to iron out differences in the terms of resumption to end the strike resulted in a stalemate.

The GTU called a limited two-day a week strike March 6 to back its demands for the resolution of a package for increased salaries and improved working conditions and last week intensified the industrial action into a full strike.

Labour Minister Dr. Dale Bisnauth, last week established an Advisory Committee in accordance with the Labour Act, to bring a resolution to the differences and to make necessary recommendations.

Dr. Martin Boodhoo, former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana is Chairman of the committee. The other members are Mr. Francis Carryl, Industrial Relations Officer, Guyana Sugar Corporation, and Mr. John Seeram, Bursar of the University of Guyana.

Ally said that based on feedback he received, there was some improvement in the turnout of teachers in city schools yesterday.

He said this improvement was more evident in critical classes, especially the CXC and SSEE classes.

He said the Ministry of Education has put in place a mechanism to ensure that students/pupils in these classes are prepared as fully as possible for the upcoming CXC and SSEE examinations.

A GTU official, however, disputed the report of an improvement in teacher turnout saying that teachers were still very much on strike.