Kathmandu, Aug. 20 -- On March 19, when the government announced the closure of schools to curb the spread of Covid-19, Akash (name changed), a mathematics teacher at a private school in Kathmandu, wasn't very worried. He thought that schools would reopen in a few weeks and he'd go back to taking classes.

"I had no idea it would last this long. In the 15 years that I have worked as a teacher, this is the longest I have gone without teaching," said Akash. "I have never had this much free time in many years."

For Akash, the free time has come at a huge personal expense. "Ever since the school closed, I haven't received a single rupee in salary," said Akash.

Akash's case is not an outlier among the country's private school teachers. Since...