Talks between striking Zimbabwean university lecturers and authorities have reached an impasse, sources close to their talks said Friday, adding University of Zimbabwe officials may close the institution next week if there is no progress by then.

The Zimbabwe National Students Union, meanwhile, reported a heavy presence of riot police around the Harare campus as students continued a class boycott in protest of high fees and to express solidarity with striking lecturers, who seek pay increases.

Chairman Fidelis Mhashu of parliament's committee on education, told reporter Carole Gombakomba of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that the government’s response to the ongoing crisis in Zimbabwe's institutions of higher learning has been disappointing.

Lecturers at Bulawayo’s National University of Science and Technology have agreed to go back to work while a negotiating forum is established. Chinhoyi University of Technology lecturers also returned to work pending results of talks on Monday.

More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...