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Yemen's divided education system leaves students' futures in limbo

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Yemen's education system is fractured by the ongoing conflict, with the internationally recognized government suspending the authentication of some school certificates from Houthi-controlled areas.
  • The government cites a lack of access to official records as the reason, blaming the Houthis, leaving students uncertain about their academic credentials and future study abroad opportunities.
  • Students feel unfairly punished by the decision, calling it collective punishment that invalidates years of schooling and dashes hopes for higher education.

Bashar Mohammed, a 19-year-old from Sanaa, diligently enrolled in English courses, hoping to improve his skills for an overseas scholarship. His dream, however, is now clouded by the reality of Yemen's divided education system.

Mohammed completed high school in the capital, Sanaa, which is under Houthi control. Now, he worries that the government authorities in Aden will not validate his academic credentials. Yemen has been split between the internationally recognized government and the Houthis since the war began over a decade ago.

It amounts to saying that our 12 years of schooling were a waste of time. This is painful.

— Bashar MohammedA student expressing his distress over the potential invalidation of his high school certificate.

The Aden-based Education Ministry issued a circular in late July, suspending the authentication of certain school certificates from Houthi-controlled regions. In early August, the ministry stated it could not access the necessary official records to verify some students' documents, blaming the Houthis for the issue. This leaves students caught in a bureaucratic quagmire, unsure of any resolution.

The students and their parents are powerless, and they cannot go against the Houthis or ask Houthi authorities to coordinate with the government in Aden.

— Ayman AhmedAn 18-year-old student describing the difficult position students are in due to the political division.

"It amounts to saying that our 12 years of schooling were a waste of time. This is painful," Mohammed told Al Jazeera. His immediate hope of studying abroad is now in jeopardy. To leave the country for studies, Yemenis need their certificates authenticated by the Foreign Ministry, which requires a prior stamp of authenticity from the Education Ministry.

Ayman Ahmed, an 18-year-old graduate from Raymah province, also under Houthi control, believes students are being unfairly penalized. "The students and their parents are powerless, and they cannot go against the Houthis or ask Houthi authorities to coordinate with the government in Aden," Ahmed said, noting the risks of opposing the rebel group. He described the invalidation of certificates as "collective punishment, and it is unfair."

So, treating our certificates as invalid is collective punishment, and it is unfair.

— Ayman AhmedA student criticizing the government's decision as an unfair measure against all students from Houthi-controlled areas.

Education Minister Adel al-Abadi later clarified that the suspension does not apply to all academic years, as the ministry possesses records for some periods, allowing verification. However, he acknowledged that for certificates where data is missing from ministry records, verification is difficult. Ahmed countered that this lack of data is not the students' fault.

There are certificates for which there is no data in the ministry’s records, and therefore it is difficult for us to verify their validity and accuracy.

— Adel al-AbadiYemen's Minister of Education explaining the challenges in authenticating some student certificates.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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