DistantNews
🇳🇵 Nepal /Culture & Society

Yarsagumba season empties schools in Jumla villages

From Kathmandu Post · (8m ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Many students in Jumla villages are leaving school for up to two months to collect the valuable caterpillar fungus, yarsagumba, for income.
  • The earnings from yarsagumba are crucial for families, covering school supplies, private tuition, and even basic survival, leading parents to prioritize income over education.
  • Despite municipal advisories against students missing school, poverty makes enforcement difficult, resulting in nearly deserted classrooms during the collection season.

In the remote highlands of Jumla, the annual yarsagumba season presents a stark dilemma for students and their families: education or income. For many, like Dilraj Rawat, the prized caterpillar fungus is not just a seasonal harvest but a lifeline, providing the funds necessary for school supplies, winter tuition, and even basic sustenance. This year, the allure of earning between Rs125,000 and Rs150,000 from collecting yarsagumba has once again emptied classrooms, with a significant majority of students from Grades 6 to 10 abandoning their studies for up to two months.

Going to the highlands means missing school, but it is the only way to earn the money I need to continue studying.

— Dilraj RawatA student explaining his motivation for collecting yarsagumba despite missing school.

The impact on education is profound. Headteacher Jagat Bahadur Shahi of Malika Secondary School reports that teachers are left with little to do but sign attendance registers as most students depart. The problem extends to younger children, often kept home to assist with household chores or livestock care. This recurring pattern, documented year after year, highlights a deep-seated issue where economic survival directly competes with educational aspirations. Parents, facing immense poverty, often pressure schools to grant leave, arguing that education is unsustainable without the financial support yarsagumba provides.

Most students go to the highlands. Teachers at the secondary level are left with little to do except sign the attendance register.

— Jagat Bahadur ShahiA headteacher describing the impact of student absences on schooling.

The Patarasi Rural Municipality acknowledges the problem, issuing annual advisories against students missing school. However, Ram Chandra Regmi, head of the municipality’s education branch, admits that poverty makes effective measures impossible. The municipality's focus remains on education, but families' immediate need for survival takes precedence. This situation is particularly acute in wards 1, 2, and 3, where schools become almost entirely deserted during the yarsagumba season. While students return by mid-July, often relying on private tuition to catch up, the cycle of missed schooling and the prioritization of income over education continues, posing a significant challenge to long-term development in these communities.

We urge them to send their children to school, but parents pressure us to allow them to go during the Yarsagumba season.

— Jagat Bahadur ShahiThe headteacher explaining the difficulty in enforcing school attendance.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog