Dolpa, May 24 -- Come yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis) harvesting season in Dolpa, a remote mountain district in Karnali province, and classrooms fall silent. Students, their parents and even teachers, head to the highland meadows to cash in on the prized caterpillar fungus.

This year is no different. More than 14,500 students have been reportedly affected as entire communities-including teachers and children-head to the highlands to collect the fungus, valued for its purported medicinal properties.

At Adarsha Secondary School in ward 7 of Thulibheri Municipality, teachers continue to report for duty, but classrooms remain empty. "Since the beginning of Jestha (mid-May), the number of students has started to drop. Now, it's practica...