On March 19, when the Nepal government announced the closure of schools to curb the spread of Covid-19, Akash (name changed), a mathematics teacher at a private school in Kathmandu, wasn’t very worried. He thought that schools would reopen in a few weeks and he’d go back to taking classes.

“I had no idea it would last this long. In the 15 years that I have worked as a teacher, this is the longest I have gone without teaching,” said Akash. “I have never had this much free time in many years.”

For Akash, the free time has come at a huge personal expense. “Ever since the school closed, I haven’t received a single rupee in salary,” said Akash.

Akash’s case is not an outlier among the country’s private school teachers. Since the schools closed, the majority of private school teachers haven’t received their salaries, and those who have, have received only a fraction of their total salaries, according to teachers.

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