{"id":1020,"date":"2025-09-06T07:06:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T07:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahsedu.org\/blog\/?p=1020"},"modified":"2025-09-08T07:09:38","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T07:09:38","slug":"childrens-education-in-yemen-how-conflict-and-crisis-devastate-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahsedu.org\/blog\/childrens-education-in-yemen-how-conflict-and-crisis-devastate-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Children\u2019s Education in Yemen: How Conflict and Crisis Devastate Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Generation at Risk<\/p>\n

Yemen is facing one of the world\u2019s worst education crises amid an ongoing conflict and humanitarian disaster. After a decade of war, millions of Yemeni children are out of school. In fact, two in every five children \u2013 about 4.5 million young learners \u2013 are now out of school despite a UN-brokered truce, a number that has soared in recent years. Over 6.2 million children require educational support, and 1 in 4 children in Yemen are not attending school at all. This collapse of education is a direct consequence of the conflict and \u201ccurrent problems\u201d plaguing Yemen. The nation\u2019s civil war and humanitarian crisis have put an entire generation\u2019s future at stake. Below, we examine what triggered this education emergency, the background of the crisis, its impact and consequences for children, and what to expect next \u2013 along with solutions that can help, such as the AHS education platform, to ensure Yemeni students continue learning.<\/p>\n

What Triggered Yemen\u2019s Education Crisis?<\/p>\n

Yemen\u2019s descent into crisis began with civil war in 2015, when conflict erupted between the government and Houthi rebels. This war quickly escalated into a regional conflict, causing widespread destruction and economic collapse. Even before the war, Yemen struggled with poverty and poor infrastructure, but the fighting made things far worse. Schools became battlegrounds \u2013 since 2015, at least 2,424 schools have been destroyed or damaged by attacks, or used as shelters and military posts. Repeated airstrikes, shelling, and violence have devastated education infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The conflict triggered mass displacement of families, as roughly 4.5 million people have been internally displaced across Yemen. Many displaced families took shelter in camps or crowded housing where schooling is scarce. Children forced to flee their homes often cannot attend school, since there may be no functioning schools in displacement camps or they cannot afford transport. In fact, internally displaced children face huge obstacles: more than 2.5 million displaced children are out of or not attending school, and 8.6 million school-aged children in Yemen need education assistance.<\/p>\n

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Various shots of the destroyed schools in Taiz city and during the student’s classes in their temporary school-like buildings. Wagdi Almaqtari\/ICRC<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Another trigger of the education crisis is Yemen\u2019s economic collapse and humanitarian emergency. A decade of war has shrunk Yemen\u2019s economy by over 50%, with more than 80% of the population now living below the poverty line. Today, over 19 million people (more than half of Yemen\u2019s population) need humanitarian aid, including around 10 million children. Families struggling to survive face famine, disease, and extreme poverty, making education a lower priority when food and safety are in question. The government\u2019s budget for public services evaporated amid the war, leading to a collapse in education funding. Teachers went unpaid for years \u2013 nearly 200,000 teachers have not received regular salaries since the war divided the country\u2019s administration. This salary crisis means teachers quit to find other work, leaving classrooms without educators.<\/p>\n

In summary, the current problems triggering Yemen\u2019s education crisis are rooted in the ongoing conflict and its ripple effects: violence destroying schools, mass displacement, economic meltdown, and a collapsing education system. A UNICEF representative in Yemen described education as one of the greatest casualties of the war, noting that\u00a0\u201cthe conflict has a staggering impact on every aspect of children\u2019s lives, yet access to education provides a sense of normalcy for children in even the most desperate contexts and protects them from exploitation. Keeping children in school is critical for their own future and the future of Yemen.\u201d\u00a0unicef.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Impact on Children\u2019s Education: By the Numbers<\/p>\n

The impact of Yemen\u2019s turmoil on children\u2019s education is dire and measurable. Here are some key statistics illustrating the scope of the crisis:<\/p>\n