KATHMANDU (AFP) -- Beyond the daily deaths of Maoist rebels and soldiers in Nepal, educators warn a generation of children is being scarred as rural schools become a frontline in the bloody insurgency.

Officials say more than 300 teachers and students have died in the seven-year uprising as schools emerge as de facto symbols of government authority in a kingdom where troops and guerrillas tussle for control.

Lava Prasad Tripathy, spokesman for the education and culture ministry, said 149 teachers and 152 children have died since the Maoists in 1996 declared their "people's war" aimed at overthrowing the monarchy.

But like much data in Nepal, the toll is merely a collection of figures from local officials. Tripathy described as "deplorable" the quality of statistics on the insurrection's effects on education.

The Maoists, hoping to show their rule in the countryside, have routinely destroyed bridges, roads and any other sign of the government's influence.

Teachers, with their accreditation from central authorities and commitment to instructing a curriculum set by Kathmandu, are often the most visible target for guerrillas bent on establishing a far-left republic.

Mohan Gyawali, general secretary of the Nepal Teachers Organisation, said 85 teachers supporting the Kathmandu-based union have been killed since 1996 and another 1,200 others have fled or been forced out of their home communities.

Children themselves have often witnessed the bloodshed.

Krishna Pahari, president of the private Human Rights and Peace Security-Nepal, said the Maoists have torched or attempted to torch 90 schools and have set off bombs at 27 others since 1996. "They have terrified the students," he said. "The security of schools is now a matter of concern for everyone."

While the Maoists are blamed for the bulk of the attacks against schools, human rights groups have accused troops of not sparing children as they mount their nationwide crackdown against the rebels.

Four teenage students died last month in the southwestern Doti district when troops fired on a school where Maoists were holed up.

Army spokesman Colonel Dipak Gurung said the children were killed accidentally as the rebels had taken them as human shields.

The Maoists ended a ceasefire in August, resuming their insurrection which has claimed more than 8,200 lives.

The rebels, in an apparent attempt to shore up support, on October 21 announced they would not longer destroy infrastructure or attack anyone save troops or police.

But the Maoist leadership has acknowledged it cannot control the actions of every Maoist cadre. On November 9, a 79-year-old civilian man, Prabahang Kedem, had his throat slit because he refused Maoist extortion demands, according to the police account.

Amnesty International warned last week of spiralling human rights violations in Nepal since the end of the ceasefire.

It said at least 60 people had "disappeared," largely through arbitrary arrests, and urged the government to allow UN human rights experts to investigate.