Yemen war deprives children of their education
More than a million Yemeni children are unable to study this year as war forces thousands of schools to close.
2 min read
Yemeni children have been forced out of school thanks to the war [Anadolu]
The war in Yemen has left more than 1.2 million students unable to continue their studies, with thousands of schools closing.
The education system has been completely suspended in some of the hardest hit parts of the country, such as the capital Sanaa and provinces such as Aden, Abyan and Sadah. Other provinces have seen a partial suspension.
The reasons vary from area to area, as some schools were forced to close as a result of the Saudi-led air campaign, while others closed after being targeted, destroyed or occupied by the warring Yemeni factions on the ground.
Others still were forced to suspend classes after doubling as refugee camps for thousands of displaced Yemenis from various areas.
Many parents are concerned for their children's education. Fathi Abdel Salam believes that his children might be forced to retake the year. He said parents have no choice but to accept the procedures put in place by the ministry of education to deal with children who can no longer study.
Refugee shelters
Schools in the provinces of Amran, al-Mahwit and Haja have become the only refuge for thousands of families fleeing air raids in Sadah, the heartland of the Houthi movement, intensified.
Ali al-Razhi, who arrived in Amran with his family after fleeing Sadah, said that the local council decided to suspend classes so that school buildings could house refugees.
Razhi said he felt saddened by the fact that they have to stay in a school. "Many students are prevented from finishing their education," he said, but added that he hoped his stay would be temporary.
The ministry of education has now decided to end the school year in the provinces that have been able to complete their end-of-year exams.
Anees Yaseen, the office manager for the deputy minister of education, said that the ministry would use partial results to determine secondary and intermediate certificates for anyone who had been unable to study due to the war.
The war in Yemen has resulted in the temporary closure of 2,774 schools across the country, which accounts for 16.4 percent of schools in Yemen, according to a report by the ministry of education. The same report states that 1.2 million children attend these schools, which is 21.3 percent of Yemen's school population.
Furthermore, initial reports put the number of fully or partially damaged school buildings at over 81.
This is an edited translation of the original Arabic.
The education system has been completely suspended in some of the hardest hit parts of the country, such as the capital Sanaa and provinces such as Aden, Abyan and Sadah. Other provinces have seen a partial suspension.
The reasons vary from area to area, as some schools were forced to close as a result of the Saudi-led air campaign, while others closed after being targeted, destroyed or occupied by the warring Yemeni factions on the ground.
Others still were forced to suspend classes after doubling as refugee camps for thousands of displaced Yemenis from various areas.
Many parents are concerned for their children's education. Fathi Abdel Salam believes that his children might be forced to retake the year. He said parents have no choice but to accept the procedures put in place by the ministry of education to deal with children who can no longer study.
Refugee shelters
Schools in the provinces of Amran, al-Mahwit and Haja have become the only refuge for thousands of families fleeing air raids in Sadah, the heartland of the Houthi movement, intensified.
Ali al-Razhi, who arrived in Amran with his family after fleeing Sadah, said that the local council decided to suspend classes so that school buildings could house refugees.
Razhi said he felt saddened by the fact that they have to stay in a school. "Many students are prevented from finishing their education," he said, but added that he hoped his stay would be temporary.
The ministry of education has now decided to end the school year in the provinces that have been able to complete their end-of-year exams.
Anees Yaseen, the office manager for the deputy minister of education, said that the ministry would use partial results to determine secondary and intermediate certificates for anyone who had been unable to study due to the war.
The war in Yemen has resulted in the temporary closure of 2,774 schools across the country, which accounts for 16.4 percent of schools in Yemen, according to a report by the ministry of education. The same report states that 1.2 million children attend these schools, which is 21.3 percent of Yemen's school population.
Furthermore, initial reports put the number of fully or partially damaged school buildings at over 81.
This is an edited translation of the original Arabic.
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