YEMEN’S HIDDEN EMERGENCY: AN EDUCATION SYSTEM IN CRISIS

With funding from Education Cannot Wait, UNICEF supports access to quality education opportunities for children in Yemen

By Education Cannot Wait

June 17^th, 2021

Adapted Story from the Field. Special contribution by UNICEF Yemen (English | العربية)

“With each semester that passes, our education continues to deteriorate due to the disasters afflicting our country – starting with the war and ending with COVID-19. Beyond the shortage of teachers, educational curricula no longer meet the high quality we need to continue advancing and growing,” says 19-year-old Maraseel Alsaqaf.

Fatimah Shaker, 16, student at Rabea’a Al-Adaweyah School in Sana’a. ©UNICEF/UN0462121/Alghabri

Maraseel is about to enter her final year at the Taibah Girls School in Taizz, Yemen. Perched high in the Yemeni Highlands, Taizz was once known as the cultural capital of Yemen. Today, it is a central battleground in Yemen’s six-year civil war. For girls like Maraseel, living here on the frontlines, education means hope for a brighter future and safety in a world turned upside down by war, mass displacement, systematic unemployment and widespread famine.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made matters even worse, claiming the lives of over one-quarter of Yemenis who have contracted the virus – five times the global average. For the girls and boys of Yemen, this isn’t just a health emergency and it isn’t just an economic emergency; it is also an education emergency.

As of 16 March 2020, all schools, universities and learning institutes were closed nationwide, preventing 5.8 million students (including 2.5 million girls) from completing their school year.

Students while taking their exams at Rabea’a Al-Adaweyah School in Sana’a. ©UNICEF/UN0462122/Alghabri

The unfolding crisis has put a further strain on an already overstretched and fragmented education system, and calls for alternative learning platforms, strategies and teaching methods.

To address these challenges, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies, has been supporting education in emergencies responses in Yemen since 2017. ECW’s Initial Investment in Yemen reached 1.3 million children and youth (45 per cent of whom are girls), providing safe learning spaces to children, supporting 1.2 million students in taking national exams and paying incentives for teachers whose salaries were not paid in the affected regions of Yemen.

In 2019, the Fund announced a new investment that will reach over 14,000 internally displaced and crisis-affected children in Hodeidah, Hajjah and Taizz. The investments are being implemented by a consortium of partners including UNICEF Yemen, the Norwegian Refugee Council and other partners.

“My happiest moment was when I completed my Intermediate Diploma Certificate and started teaching students in my region. I am saddened and disheartened that schools have been closed due to the pandemic,” says 33-year-old Mona Almatari, a teacher from Wadi Hala village.

Teacher Mona Almatari, 33, from Wadi Hala village, Yafe’e. ©UNICEF/UN0462109/Fadhel

When Schools Shut Their Doors

School closures lead to a loss of routine, peer support and social interactions that are necessary for learning, psychological and professional development, and mental well-being. Throughout the years of conflict, children in Yemen have shown many psychological symptoms, including withdrawal, anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, restlessness, regression, sleeplessness, nightmares and hyperactivity.

Sixteen-year-old Fatimah Shaker is in the 9th grade at the Rabea’a Al-Adaweyah School in Sana’a.

“Our school year was disrupted by the pandemic. After a while, we returned to school and our final exams were announced. Because we were unable to complete our curriculum, the tests were very difficult. This past year was the worst for me and, I believe, for my entire community,” says Fatimah.

Learning Solutions

Since distance and e-learning platforms are not widely used in Yemen, students, teachers and governing bodies need to be supported. Specifically, there is an opportunity to build upon the Ministry of Education’s auxiliary programs that are broadcast on educational channels, local channels (TV and radio) and that can also be disseminated via audio, visual, print, online and social media.

With funding from ECW, UNICEF has been working with the Ministry of Education to support children’s education by developing home-based learning strategies and modalities. This includes producing and broadcasting basic education lessons on TV and radio, developing mobile learning apps and delivering electronic lessons. More broadly, the partnership aims to strengthen the capacity of teachers and administrators to foster a safe learning environment for when students return to the classroom.

Outcomes

Through the ECW-supported programme, educational authorities in Sana’a were able to facilitate national exams for students in grades 9 and 12. Of the 427,650 students who completed the exams, 356,959 (or 83 per cent) received passing grades. The exams began on 15 August 2020 and were held in 14 Yemeni governorates in 4,250 centers.

ECW funding was used to fill critical gaps and helped to ensure that the implementation went smoothly. Funding is also being leveraged to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and raise awareness about proper hygiene and sanitation. Over 200,000 posters and 3,400 banners were posted in the exam centers demonstrating ways to prevent the spread of the disease.

A student getting her temperature measured by the (Rapid test) that was provided to the school's instructors and organizers by UNICEF, Sana’a governorate. ©UNICEF/UN0462120/Alghabri

Going forward, the partnership aims to increase access to education for crisis-affected girls and boys in Yemen through remote learning and safe school preparedness plans.

UNICEF Yemen takes a multi-pronged strategic approach to strengthen the education system’s capacity to support access to quality education opportunities for children in Yemen. This includes strengthening national education systems, ensuring that children have equitable access to formal, non-formal and/or alternative learning opportunities, and improving school functionality and child-friendly learning environments.

Education Cannot Wait’s ‘Stories from the Field’ series features the voices of our implementing partners, children, youth and the communities we support. These stories have only been lightly edited to reflect the authentic voice of these frontline partners on the ground. The views expressed in the Stories from the Field series do not necessarily reflect those of Education Cannot Wait, our Secretariat, donors or UN Member States.

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