Dhan Bahadur Bogati, a livestock farmer from Dipayal, noticed signs of discomfort in two of his goats on Thursday morning. The condition of one of the animals got severe by the evening. That was when Bogati decided to take the sick goat to the veterinary students of Seti Technical School. But the animal died on the journey.

On Friday, Dr Nandalal Khatri and Dr Khemraj Upadhyay of the school performed an autopsy on Bogati’s goat before concluding that the animal had died of bloating. 

Bogati had been feeding rice to his animals, which veterinarians suspect caused the bloating. He wouldn’t have known this if he had not decided to take his sick goat to the students of veterinary medicine.

“If only I had taken my goat to the school on time, he would’ve been saved. From this incident, I understand how timely treatment of livestock is important,” said Bogati.

For livestock farmers like Bogati, Seti Technical School has come as a boon. The school has been teaching agriculture and veterinary courses for a while now, but practical lessons have only just been introduced.

The practical classes have not just helped the students but also the local community. “The students and doctors at the school are helping us identify diseases in our livestock. They also share input on increasing our agricultural output,” Bogati said.

Upadhyay said the school receives requests from farmers to treat their livestock in case of illness.

“These days, villagers call us to check on their cattle even for minor illness,” he said.

Rajesh Singh Bista, a student at the school, said that adoption of a practical approach to lessons has helped him understand the subject better.

“We have been receiving theoretical knowledge inside the classroom and gaining practical knowledge on people’s doorsteps. This is a good way to learn,” said Bista.

Seti Technical School has also been launching various campaigns to support the local community. A few months ago, teachers and students of the school conducted vasectomy and tubal ligation operation on stray dogs. “We started the campaign to control the population of stray dogs,” said Upadhyay.

Narendra Khadka, former chairman of Doti Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said disseminating information about ways to take care of livestock, increase farm productivity and start commercial production of agricultural products has become easy with the help of the technical school.

The school has raised cattle (cows and goats) and opened local poultry farm, broiler farm, turkey farm, and fish farm and among others to provide practical education to the students.