BIKANER, July 21 -- Around 300 private schools remained closed across Bikaner on Monday as the School Education Welfare Association (SEWA) staged a protest against the education department's order mandating monthly inspections of private schools and warned of an indefinite statewide strike if the directive is not withdrawn. The protest comes days after the Private Schools Federation held talks with additional chief secretary (education) Rajesh Yadav in Jaipur over the contentious inspection order. Following the meeting, the federation claimed it had been assured that monthly inspections would not be carried out and that, in view of court directions, the exercise would instead be conducted once a year between April and September along with the annual physical verification under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. However, no formal order has been issued by the department so far. SEWA was not part of those discussions. More than 2,000 school management representatives, teachers and staff assembled at the district collectorate before marching to the Directorate of Education. Protesters staged a sit-in outside the directorate. The main entrance to the directorate remained closed during the demonstration. Kodar Ram Bhadu, state president of SEWA, said "Private schools across Rajasthan would launch an indefinite strike if the government failed to withdraw the monthly inspection order." However, the education department had not issued any fresh notification modifying the monthly inspection order....