Ahmed Shaaban (Aden, Cairo)
Experts in the field of human rights have warned of the deterioration of the educational system in Yemen, and the dropout of students from schools at all levels of education due to the war that has been going on for 9 years, which portends an educational disaster as a result of the “Houthi” exploitation of children and their recruitment.
Experts said that education has become impossible due to the group’s violations against children, and the transformation of schools into barracks, training camps, and centers for spreading extremist ideology.
A survey conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics on the status of the educational process in Yemen, which was disrupted by the war sparked by the Houthi group, revealed that one in every 4 children is in the basic education stage, and more than half of the children in the secondary stage are out of school.
The director of the Human Rights Office in the Sanaa Municipality, Fahmi Al-Zubairi, warned of the significant deterioration of the educational process, noting that since the Houthis took control by force of arms over various Yemeni institutions, they have worked to destroy the educational system and targeted it systematically.
He said: “Education faces difficult challenges, after the Houthis tightened their control over it in light of the collapse of all institutions, infrastructure and health care.”
Al-Zubairi revealed, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that one of the most prominent challenges facing students and parents is imposing fees, amounts, and taxes that violate the law in schools, especially in light of the deteriorating economic situation and the high prices of school supplies, noting that there are 2.5 million children who do not attend school. To schools because of the war, and the inability to cover the costs of study.
He said, “The war led to the destruction or closure of more than 3,500 schools, forcing students to leave school, crowd into narrow classrooms, or study in tents or shelters, which confirms that we need urgent interventions from UN and international organizations.”
Al-Zubairi added, “The Houthis targeted some areas with rocket projectiles, launched military attacks and planted mines, threatening the lives of students and teachers, and creating a state of fear that leads to abandoning education, closing schools, and continuing displacement and forced displacement.”
A new World Bank report revealed that the conflict in Yemen has led to a deterioration in the quality of education and caused students to drop out, and families face great difficulties in sending their children to schools, which operate according to an emergency schedule, with part-time hours and intermittent lessons.
The director of the Human Rights Office said, “The Houthi group continues to work to change the curricula and distort them in a racist and arrogant manner that threatens the future of Yemen, despite widespread popular rejection in areas under its control,” adding that many educational staff in schools in Sana’a and the governorates refused to teach these curricula, which conflict with The values and principles of centrism, moderation, and the constitution.”
For his part, Undersecretary of the Yemeni Ministry of Human Rights, Nabil Abdel Hafeez, said that the Yemeni child is one of the segments whose rights have been most violated due to the war, and one of the reasons for dropping out of the educational system is the military operations carried out by the Houthi group to recruit children to the battlefields.
Abdul Hafeez explained in a statement to Al-Ittihad that the ongoing attack by the Houthi group on schools has led to a large number of educational facilities being out of service, in addition to pushing thousands of children into battles and making them fuel for its war against the people of Yemen to achieve private gains. Thousands of children die in battle, or are permanently disabled.
Abdul Hafeez described child recruitment as “a crime according to international laws and agreements,” calling for justice, continued monitoring and documentation, and reporting of violations through human rights organizations and bodies. The international community and United Nations organizations must provide protection for the children of Yemen and oblige the Houthis to stop their violations against childhood.
He explained that there are more than 4.5 million displaced people, most of whom are children who were displaced from their areas and lived in camps, and all of them suffer from a lack of access to educational opportunities, in addition to the deliberate impoverishment by the Houthis of the Yemeni people, which led to many children going out to the work fields to support their families. .
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