JUMLA, Feb 23: Heaps of snow piled up in the high mountainous regions of Jumla have prevented many schools from resuming their classes after the winter vacation. Though the student enrollment campaign for the new academic year began on February 9, most schools have not been able to run classes due to the chilly weather and snow.

Some school buildings and playgrounds are awaiting the sun so that the heavy snow will finally melt down. After remaining shut for a long time, Devilaxmi Basic School of Tila Rural Municipality finally resumed after the parents, students and teachers jointly cleaned up the snow piled up in the playground. "It is not possible for us to clean up the snow of every school. So, most of the schools are still waiting for the snow to melt to resume classes," said Harka Bahadur Rawat, a local.According to him, going to school has been a challenge for the students this year due to the heavy snowfall. "They can't play outside nor can they stay inside those extremely cold classrooms," Rawat added.Many schools in Tila, Patarasi, Guthichaur and Kankasundari rural municipalities have remained closed for months due to the snow. In the high Himalayas, the snow level is around 3 feet deep, which will take a long time to melt. As the snow is still thick, it seems like some schools will not be able to run their classes for a few more days.

Motiram Budha, principal of Jyoti Secondary School of Rasamalapani laments that he cannot resume his school due to snow. "It's been a long time since we have been operating the school by cleaning the snow but it gets collected again, compelling us to shut the school repeatedly."

Though the school enrollment campaign was launched at the same time in the whole district, it has not been quiet effective in the high mountainous region. In Karnali Province, the new academic year begins from February. Concerned about their health, parents are unable to send their children to school. "We can't send them to school as we worry about their health but we are equally concerned about their studies as well," said Rawat.

Mahesh Datta Devkota, chief of Education Development and Coordination Unit, Jumla, stated that the snowfall has hampered the education in the district. "It's not like the schools are closed for months but they are not being operated regularly due to the snowfall," said Devkota. As the students are approaching their final exams, the snowfall has affected their studies.

 
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