Yemen’s conflict has left more than 4.5 million children out of school and disrupted the education of many more, including Ragda’s whose schooling was interrupted for 6 months.

Fortunately, Ragda has been able to advance through secondary school, but her family, like so many others, had to flee conflict and relocate to a more peaceful part of the country.

She lives with her mother, sister and brother in a one-room apartment in a village of the Ash Shamayatayn District; her father passed away prior to the start of the war.

Ragda’s mother, who never learned how to read, earns a living making henna and is a strong believer in the importance of education.

Ragda has attended Saeed Hassan Fare’a since the first year of secondary education and likes her school very much.

It is located 30 minutes from where she lives, and she cannot afford to take the bus to and from school, but she walks with a group of classmates.

Despite displacement and financial hardship, Ragda is determined to continue her education.

Saeed Hassan Fare’a school has welcomed an influx of displaced students over the past 10 years but struggles to accommodate them.

With so many children fleeing conflict, schools in more peaceful areas are strained by overcrowded classrooms and insufficient resources.

The war’s effect on the country’s economy has made some parents reluctant to send their children to school. Many students have dropped out to work and help their family earn a living.

Despite struggles with high enrollment, schools in Taha’s district partnered with their communities, including displacement camps, to re-enroll over 100 students who had dropped out. On average, the students had been out of school for three to five years.

Mohammed has four children and leads the parents’ council at Saeed Hassan Fare’a.

In addition to helping get children back to school, the council works with school leaders to analyze school needs, develop plans to address them and ensure effective use of resources.

Education as a lifeline

Schooling for Ragda and her peers is fraught with obstacles, and Yemen’s teachers play a heroic role in this fight for education.

Despite overcrowded classrooms, inadequate teaching materials, irregular pay and security concerns, teachers like Arwa Hael refuse to give up.

Keeping education going

To avoid a shutdown of the education system, the government has worked with education development partners and civil society organizations both within and outside Yemen. This partnership has been critical to maintaining education.

Financing from GPE and the International Development Association and coordinated support with partners, including Save the Children, UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank and the World Food Programme among others, has helped the most affected governorates in Yemen to:

• Rehabilitate damaged schools and provide school grants for maintenance, classroom and recreational supplies, and teaching and learning materials
• Provide students with school supplies, healthy meals and psychosocial support to cope with war-related trauma such as displacement, violence and military recruitment
• Train teachers, pay salaries and hire more female teachers in rural areas where girls are more likely to be out of school than boys
• Engage parents and communities in school management to foster collective responsibility and accountability
• Support local capacity for education planning, data collection and evidence-based policy making.

Longstanding partnership

Yemen joined GPE in 2003 and has received over US$175 million in grants. Since conflict erupted in 2015, GPE and partners have adapted to the country’s evolving education needs.

GPE’s partnership approach has brought together national and global actors, mobilizing resources that have been critical to sustaining access to education and preventing system collapse.

As the conflict persists, the efforts of GPE and partners remain crucial to ensuring Yemeni children like Ragda don’t lose their chance at a brighter future.