Destruction of Education Sector in Yemen Within Three Years of War

On Mar 21, 2018

YemenExtra

Shefa’a Abdullah

Since the war against Yemen began in March 2015, education has been greatly affected, 2.8 million children who have been out of school and need assistance for education out of 5.8 million school-age children.

*Boys are pictured in a damaged class of their school which was hit by Saudi-led air strikes*

360,000 children in Yemen lost their educational opportunities because of the US-Saudi coalition aggression.

The number of schools that went out of use due to the shelling of the coalition are (2621),of these, 265 schools were totally destroyed by the aggression.

172 shelters were used for the displaced and 2184 were partially damaged and partially destroyed due to the bombing of coalition aggression.

Despite all this, Yemenis working in education have displayed a high degree of resourcefulness, and the ability to deal with hardship. Professional education teams were able to oversee the final exams that children take for their primary and secondary general certificates in all of Yemen’s provinces, as well as in a number of countries that had received refugee Yemeni students.

*Inside a school was targeted by the Saudi-led coalition led*

Despite financial hardship, they were able to open alternative friendly spaces and buildings for schools and displaced people.

Yet, the educational process in Yemen still faces significant challenges: shortages in the financial resources needed for operating schools, the rehabilitation of partially damaged schools to return them to service, and the printing of school textbooks.

Moreover, education needs broadening with social activities, as well as psychological support and healthcare for students and teachers alike. That will ameliorate the impact of the conflict, particularly in places and areas where displaced people are hosted.

Alternative solutions are also needed for school buildings by using otherwise unused government buildings or by defraying the costs of temporary, leased buildings, or providing tents to protect students from open spaces.

*A group of Yemeni students learning under a bridge*

Yemen needs to develop more flexible mechanisms and curricula for educating displaced students whether they are inside or outside Yemen.

To lighten the burden of government agencies, civil society organizations have to find more ways of getting involved.

In the medium- and long-term, Yemen needs a plan for reconstruction. And there is an urgent need to restructure the country’s education system, enabling them to tackle challenges and confront the aggression.

It is worth mentioning that the US-Saudi coalition aggression began on 26 March 2015 with a military coalition aggression against Yemen.