Ahmed Shaaban (Aden, Cairo)
UNICEF Representative in Yemen, Peter Hawkins, described the presence of 4.5 million children out of school as a “time bomb,” noting that he is in contact with the Yemeni authorities to address the catastrophic situation.
He noted that within 5 to 10 years there will be an entire illiterate generation that does not know how to count and has few life skills, which could pose a major dilemma for the country in the next phase.
According to Hawkins, UNICEF is trying to ensure that there are functioning schools, rehabilitate schools damaged by the conflict, ensure that teachers are able to attend schools, and encourage children, especially girls, to return to school after the summer vacation. He pointed out that UNICEF has rehabilitated 1,116 schools, in addition to motivating 38,000 teachers to go to school.
Yemeni society and parents have been facing major challenges since the beginning of the 2024 school year, after the systematic destruction practiced by the Houthi group against educational institutions.
Fahmi Al-Zubairi, Director of the Human Rights Office in the Secretariat of the capital, Sana’a, said that under the control of the Houthis over the areas under their control, the school year has become darker, and there are no signs on the horizon of development and improvement in education, as they use schools and educational and pedagogical institutions as platforms for mobilization, and exploit teachers and students and force them to participate in military operations.
Al-Zubairi warned, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, of the danger of the group’s violations by recruiting children and using them in mobilization and training operations, in violation of international laws and treaties, as they constitute more than 65% of its fighters.
He pointed out that the Houthis are exploiting schools and summer centers to recruit children and send them to the battlefronts by force or in exchange for food supplies provided by humanitarian organizations, and preventing families from obtaining basic services, and requiring them to pay with their children in exchange for obtaining aid due to the deteriorating situation and poverty.
Al-Zubairi revealed that the Houthis stopped the salaries of teachers and educators, changed the curricula, and deliberately tampered with education to facilitate the recruitment of children, spread illiteracy and ignorance in Yemeni society, and destroy awareness, which contradicts all international and local values, principles, and laws.
For his part, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Human Rights in Yemen, Nabil Abdul Hafeez, attributed the dropout of millions of children from education to the military operations, bombing, and displacement of residents carried out by the Houthis, as well as the poor financial situation and the spread of poverty, which led to families’ reluctance to send their children to education, especially girls.
Abdul Hafeez explained, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that the Houthi violations against the Yemenis have had a major impact on education, in addition to the brainwashing practices of children, stressing that the Yemeni government is working hard to address this crisis, through a number of programs with international agencies affiliated with the United Nations, whether the Development Program or UNICEF and others, in order to rehabilitate some of the damaged schools, or establish new schools.
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