School in Gorkha Plagued by Hairy Caterpillars, Disrupting Classes

Gorkha. Teachers and students at Akala Basic School in Kharachok Bhanjyang, Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality-3, are troubled by hairy caterpillars. Learning has been affected as the classrooms are filled with these insects.

There is an Uttis forest surrounding the school. Since the dry season began, hairy caterpillars from the Uttis trees have started entering the classrooms for the past month. Teacher Pabitra Tamang says, "It might sound like a small issue, but the hairy caterpillars coming from the surrounding Uttis forest are covering the classroom floor, desks, benches, tin roofs, and walls—nowhere is clear."