Kathmandu, October 8

Most of the private schools in the Kathmandu Valley have decided to close from next week for Dashain festival amid deepening shortage of petroleum products.

The country is reeling under acute shortage of petroleum products as the agitating Madhes-based parties have imposed a blockade on the Nepal-India border.

In the Valley, most of the schools use their own transport to pick and drop students. But schools have not been able to operate 60 per cent of their vehicles due to fuel shortage.

Earlier, private schools gave Dashain holidays from Fulpati (seventh day of the 15-day long Dashain festival), but fuel shortage have forced them to announce holidays 10 days before schedule.

Mukunda Sharma, principal, Hattiban-based Little Angels’ School, said they have announced Dashain holidays from Ghatasthapana (first day of Dashain). “We are facing difficulty transporting students due to the fuel shortage. But we will not close our school before Dashain festival,” he said, adding that the school was currently holding terminal examinations, which will end on October 12.

Karna Bahadur Shahi, president, National Private and Boarding Schools Association Nepal, said, “We can’t officially announce closure of schools due to petroleum crisis as we believe schools should not be closed even in times of crisis. But many schools have decided to close from next week.”

Hom Kumar Thapa, president, Nepal Institutional School Teachers Union, today said most of the schools were scheduled to give Dashain holidays from Fulpati but they were forced to close earlier due to shortage of petroleum products.