Kathmandu, Aug 12 - Nepal's new government faced a fresh crisis Tuesday with the former guerrilla party, the Maoists, imposing an indefinite shutdown of high schools and announcing future general strikes in addition to the blockade of parliament started last week.

The student organisation of the largest party in Nepal called the indefinite closure of high schools countrywide to protest against the oldest university in the republic deciding to phase out examinations.

Over 1,500 high schools with nearly 400,000 students were hit by the new protests called by the `revolutionary' students, whose leaders have also begun a hunger strike.

The protests began after the Tribhuvan University said it was phasing out the intermediate examinations it used to hold for high school students, who would now have to switch over to the new curriculum.

On Friday, the protesters have called a Kathmandu valley shutdown to be followed by a Nepal closure Aug 19.

If the university authorities do not revoke the phase-out, the student organisation has also warned it would slap down an indefinite closure of all educational institutions, including schools and colleges, from Monday.