Yemen war leaves harsh impact on education
The ongoing war in Yemen has led to the destruction of schools across the country, leaving millions of children without education.
SANAA, Yemen — After dropping out of school, 13-year-old Mohammad went to work at a repair shop in al-Hasaba district in the central Yemen city of Sanaa for 12,000 Yemeni riyals ($24) per month. Mohammad, who told Al-Monitor he dreams of becoming a police officer, said his father forced him to drop out of school and work long hours at the shop, and that he agreed to the job to help provide for his parents and three sisters due to the family's tough economic conditions.
Mohammad, like many others in Yemen, was forced to drop out of school due to the war and its ripple effects. According to a UNICEF report on education in Yemen published in March, about 500,000 Yemeni children were forced to halt their education when the conflict escalated in March 2015 — the number of children who did not enroll in school reached 2 million.
Children continue to pay the price of war, whether through deprivation or killing. Following wide public anger and international pressure, the Saudi-led coalition admitted Sept. 1 to committing “mistakes” in its air raids on Saada on Aug. 9 that killed 51 civilians, including dozens of children who were on a bus in a crowded market.
Nadia Mujahed, 45, is a teacher who works as a consultant in the educational area in as-Safiyah directorate in Sanaa. She believes that the war deeply harmed the educational process and the damage is only getting worse.
