Schools in upper Dolpa have shut for six months as temperatures plunge, following the completion of the current academic session’s annual exams.

In the region, schools operate for only six months each year. Heavy snowfall starting in mid-October brings freezing conditions, forcing all schools across the three local levels to close by early November.

“Our school closed in the third week of October after completing the annual exams,” said Nanda Bahadur Shahi, principal of Tasi Sumdo Elementary School in ward 7 of Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality. He said heavy snowfall made travel difficult, with two students slipping while leaving school. “Schools remain closed until the third week of April, and all teachers return together in October,” he added.

Most teachers in upper Dolpa come from lower regions. With schools open for only six months, they cannot return home for major festivals like Dashain and Tihar. The region’s remote terrain means travel can take up to a week, and some teachers have died falling from cliffs due to altitude sickness while commuting.

Shey-Phoksundo Rural Municipality alone has 13 schools, covering elementary and secondary levels. Schools in Dolpo Buddha and Chharka Tangsong rural municipalities have also closed. Manoj Budha, principal of Siddhartha Kula Elementary School in Dolpo Buddha, said schools shut after annual exams, with results released in the third week of October. Dolpo Buddha has a total of five schools.

Although all elementary schools in Dolpo Buddha are closed, Crystal Mountain Secondary School in Dho continues teaching, said Pemma Dhorche Gurung, deputy chair of the rural municipality. “The school runs up to secondary level. Classes up to grade 3 are suspended as government teachers have left, but local teachers continue for now,” he added.

All schools in Chharka Tangsoṅg have also closed for six months as snow and freezing temperatures intensify. The rural municipality has seven schools. Dal Bahadur Basnet, head of the school administration branch at the Education Development and Coordination Unit in Dolpa, said the region’s harsh winter and remote terrain make it necessary to close schools in the third week of October after annual exams.