Mugu. A 45-day ‘Hostel’ has been established in the Janajagruti Adharbhut Vidyalaya of Mugum Kamarong Rural Municipality-2 in Mugu. The 45-day ‘Hostel’ has been operated in the school with 20 percent financial support from Mugum Kamarong Rural Municipality and 80 percent from the Ricky Bruckner and Lama Karuna Foundation.
In the past, students were not found in school during the Yarsagumba collection season. After students along with their parents went out to pick Yarsagumba, the Janajagruti Basic School of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality-2 in the remote Himalayan region of Mugu has adopted a new tactic.
Children are now studying in the ‘Hostel’ in the school, which becomes deserted every year during the Yarsagumba collection season. The school has launched a 45-day residential school program targeting the Yarsagumba collection period from this year. The school administration says that it has come up with a new strategy as an attempt to find a solution to the obstacles to students’ learning.
Every year, the collection of Yarsagumba begins in the second week of Jestha. Yarsagumba is also the main source of income for the locals here. Since all family members, including young children, would head to Patan, both the village and the school would become deserted. Classes would be interrupted when the school was closed, and the children’s education would also be affected.
According to the school’s principal, Rajesh Khatri, after the parents left for Patan, the children who came to school would also be forced to go there within a few days. This would hinder their learning. Khatri said that a residential program has been started to prevent students from being deprived of education.
Currently, 24 children are studying in this school, and classes from grades 1 to 3 are taught. All the children are in Patan for 30-45 days during the Yarsagumba collection period. After that, the school has started residential education in the school from this year as more than half of the year is affected due to Tibetan trade, festivals, and winter migration.
Now, even if the parents reach Patan during the Yarsa season, the children will stay in school, says Tenji Tamang, chairman of the school management committee, saying that we have made arrangements for staying in school, food and regular classes. Subash Chandra Rawal, Chief Administrative Officer of Mugum Karmarong Rural Municipality, said that the program was started with the aim of not hindering the children’s education.
According to him, it is expected to contribute to educational improvement in the long term. The program is being implemented with 20 percent financial support from the rural municipality and 80 percent from the Ricky Bruckner and Lama Karuna Foundation.
Since all households leave the village to escape the cold in winter and only the Dalit community lives in the village, a branch school was established in the Siranchaur area in 2080 BS to continue the education of their children.
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