im trying to get my villagers to rebuild the ruins and master the herbs, but every time i drag them there they seem to want to walk off. How do i keep them there?

You must insist until they learn! Some are more stubborn than other but they all do it at last. Unless they have a specific dislike as herbs, in this case they may study only the cactus!

Or perhaps more stupid!

do you have all the required tech skills for this yet?

Mastering the herbs doesn't take any particular level of tech. Any villager, even one with no skills at all, should be able to study the herbs. Are you sure that all the strange plants have been visited?

i am sorry, i meant for restoring the ruins
you need higher level techs

Hey, be easy on us slow learning villagers!

More idiotic, then?

hehehe, I don't much care to be called either one.

And your screen name is TheVillageIdiot?