Nepalmountainnews Report | 15 May 2008
Four dozen schools in the hilly areas of this far western district have been shut down for the past two weeks. But students, teachers and also the parents are not disappointed.
Rather, they are upbeat hoping to amass large quantity of Yarchagumba (Cordyceps Sinensis), an aphrodisiac herb, this season as they could earn a good amount of money by selling it.
Three higher secondary, seven secondary, 13 lower secondary ones and 20 primary schools in the northern part of the district are literally closed since two weeks after all the students and teachers already left for collecting the rare herb.
"We always close down schools from early April for over four months for the purpose," said Bhakta Bahadur Bal, a teacher of Nyana Primary School Dhuli, who is planning to go on a visit to India this season due to his ill-health condition.
"If my health condition was okay, I would definitely go for the money-minting work," he said, revealing that he had earned over 70,000 rupees selling the Yarchagumba last year.
-KTM post
"First, there are no textbooks," said Ramesh Bista of Durga Bhawani Higher Secondary School, adding, "And as students and teachers can earn money that is enough to make the ends meet for a whole year, there is no question of anyone not jumping into the bandwagon."
Although District Education Office has been urging parents and guardians not to send their wards for yarcha collection, the parents are turning deaf ear to it. "It's not our will but a compulsion as children too can help a good deal in earning through this," said a local.
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