Basic and secondary education are among the civilian sectors most severely harmed by the war in Yemen. Since 2014, the conflict has spread to almost all governorates and has devastated every component of the education system, including people, curricula, and infrastructure.
As a result, more than four million children have been deprived of their right to basic education, with the number at risk of rising to more than six million. The war has also led to changes in curriculum content in some areas, pressure and abuse against teachers, non-payment of salaries, and the destruction or military use of thousands of schools.
Seyaj warns that the continued conflict, mass poverty, displacement, and economic collapse make the education crisis even harder to address. It argues that rebuilding the education system is essential because allowing this destruction to continue will threaten peace, security, recovery, and development in Yemen and the wider region for decades.
