KINSHASA, Oct 6, 2008 (AFP) - Hundreds of students took to the streets in Kinshasa Monday to protest against the government's failure to resolve a month-long teachers' strike in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Students, mainly from the capital's 400 or so Catholic schools, gathered outside the ministry for primary and secondary education to urge the government to consider the teachers' demands.

Teachers began striking September 3 to force the government to honour a pay agreement made with unions in 2004.

Under the terms of the deal, unions agreed on a pay bracket between 208 and 2,080 US dollars (162 to 1,620 euros) per month.

Teachers working in the capital of Kinshahsa currently earn an average of about 80 dollars per month. Those working in provincial areas earn about 63 dollars per month.

The strike has meant that pupils from roughly 2,000 state schools around the country have not attended lessons since the beginning of term, unions say.

The country's two major teachers' unions -- Synecat and Syeco -- accused education minister Maker Mwangu of trying to bypass them during the discussions in favour of dealing with other 'unofficial' unions.

'Since the start of the strike, there have never been any real negotiations with the government,' Synecat secretary general Jean-Bosco Puna told AFP.

As well as pushing for the salary hikes agreed in February 2004, Synecat and Syeco want teachers' pay to be harmonised on the national level. They are also asking that supply teachers be given the same legal status as full-time teachers.

State-school teachers in DR Congo do not receive any government subsidies at present.

The country is reeling from the sudden resignation of prime minister Antoine Gizenga on September 25. A new government is expected to be formed in the coming days.