The Sangh office-bearers, who are on a dharna outside the collectorate, said they would announce their future programmes in a press briefing on September 18, a day before the teachers plan to gherao State Education Minister Anandi Patel, on her visit to the city.

Meanwhile, schools went ahead with the tests and examinations on Thursday, though many teachers were absent.

``Boycott of school examinations, token dharna, the proposed march from Dandi to Surat as well as the gherao programme will continue,'' Surat Shahar Manya Khangi Prathamik Shikshak Sangh president Deepak Patel maintained on Thursday. The teachers also held a meeting in the afternoon, where it was decided that all smaller organisations of teachers, that have pledged support to the Surat Shahar Manya Khangi Prathamik Shikshak Sangh , would join them on the 19th.

Patel claimed that though initially he had put the number of teachers participating in the march at 51, now hundreds of them would turn out.

Meanwhile, while some teachers spend the entire day outside the collector's office as part of their token dharna, many joined them after their school hours.

Teaching at many private primary and secondary schools of the city has been affected for more than a month now, since the teachers took to the streets, demanding University Grants Commission recommended-pay scales and implementation of schedule F provisions.