Lack of Resources Overshadows Education in Yemen’s Abyan Governate
(AWP) - Elementary school students in Lawdar district, in the Yemeni province of Abyan, are facing difficulties due to a lack of school buildings and facilities, forcing teachers to give their lessons in the open, under the trees, in difficult conditions.
Aly al-Yafei, Director of Lawdar Education Department, complains about the reality of education in the war-torn country in general, and the lack of government support, both in terms of financial resources to build new facilities and failure to pay teachers their financial dues.
He said, “Education in Yemen is a sad and painful reality for many reasons. First, there is a lack of attention from the government to the teachers. Moreover, there is a shortage of school buildings and facilities.”
Yafei explained, “Teachers, the most important part of the educational process, are marginalized and not receiving their financial dues, including allowances or bonuses. Their salaries are not enough for their families. Education certainly needs much support from international organizations, the government and Arab coalition countries.”
He said that arrears in the teachers’ financial entitlements have caused many of them to search for other jobs in the light of deteriorating economic conditions in Yemen.
The United Nations has warned of the dire state of education in Yemen, describing it as “on the brink of collapse” with estimates that over two million pupils are out of school and about 2,700 schools have been destroyed or damaged.
Azzi al-Saqqaf, the Head of the Lawdar Compensatory Education Department, said displacement was one of the most serious problems that has deprived Yemen’s children access to education, with seven remote centers in the directorate in need of educational facilities and teachers.
He explained, “Since 2014, Yemen has been through displacement and migration that have led to alienation of both teachers and students. There have been many shortcomings regarding the curriculum, teachers, and facilities such as schools and classrooms.”
He added, “Yemen has been experiencing this since the war began. Lawdar district is part of Yemen and suffers from many of these concerns. We have remote areas in Lawdar district.”
Saqqaf believes that the distance and bumpy roads represent another dilemma facing students in Lawdar, noting that “societal and governmental efforts do not meet the required needs and do little to alleviate this suffering.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed that the war raging in Yemen for nearly 10 years has denied 8 million children access to education.