Bajhang, July 26 -- When children across the country were beginning their academic year in mid-April, 14-year-old Roshan Bohara of Surma Rural Municipality was up in the highlands with his parents collecting Yarsagumba, caterpillar fungi that are highly prized for their medicinal value.

Roshan, a seventh grader at Daulichaur Secondary School in Bajhang, stayed in the highlands for about three months and collected 150 Yarsagumbas.

"The picking season is over and I have collected many Yarsagumbas for which I will get a substantial amount of money. The money will cover my school fees this year," said Roshan.

Around four dozen schools in the northern part of the district were closed for three months starting mid-April, as most children had...