Kalikot/surkhet, May 14 -- year-old Nabin Sarki of Gairigaun in ward 6 of Sanni Triveni Rural Municipality, Kalikot, enrolled in Grade 8 at Badrukh Basic School in 2025. He attended classes for nearly five months, from April to August. But in the last week of August, he dropped out and left for Shimla, India, to work after his family's financial condition worsened.

After spending six months in manual labour in India, he returned home in February. Since then, however, he has not gone back to school.

"My father died. I have to look after my two younger brothers and a sister," said Nabin, who now works as a daily wage earner in the village. "How can a poor person dream of education? Even after working every day, it is difficult to manage h...