More than 70 percent of Yemen's children denied proper education by conflict - UN

Record ID: 645394

  • Title: More than 70 percent of Yemen's children denied proper education by conflict - UN
  • Date: 17th April 2017
  • Summary: SANAA, YEMEN (APRIL 15, 2017) (REUTERS) SCHOOL COURTYARD VARIOUS OF CHILDREN WALKING IN LINE TO CLASSES VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SEATED IN CLASS, RESPONDING TO TEACHER SCHOOL EXTERIOR WITH YEMENI FLAG SANAA, YEMEN (APRIL 13, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) REPRESENTATIVE TO YEMEN, MERITXELL RELANO, AT NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS UNICEF LOGO (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) REPRESENTATIVE TO YEMEN, MERITXELL RELANO, SAYING: "At the moment we have more than 166,000 teachers in the country, that they have not received the salary since October last year. This is more or less 73 percent of the total number of teachers in the country. This means that 78 percent of the schools in the country have been affected; this is more than 13,000 schools that have been affected. This means that more than four million children are being affected by this situation. It's actually 4.5 million children that are being affected by this situation." VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS / JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) REPRESENTATIVE TO YEMEN, MERITXELL RELANO, SAYING: "The schools in the country are closing ahead of time because of this shortage of teachers. Teachers cannot go to the school anymore, they don't have the money to pay the transport or they have to find their own means of living because they have not received any salary since October." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS (U.N.) REPRESENTATIVE TO YEMEN, MERITXELL RELANO, SAYING: "In addition, those children that are not in the school, they are at risk of being recruited, or the girls might be at risk of being married earlier. So there are many risks if the children are not going to schools especially in the older ages." SANAA, YEMEN (APRIL 15, 2017) (REUTERS) CHILDREN IN SCHOOL COURTYARD CHILDREN WALKING VARIOUS OF CHILDREN SEATED IN CLASS WITH TEACHER / TEACHER WRITING ON WHITE BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) TEACHER, HODA AL KHOULANI, SAYING: "I am talking on behalf of myself and the rest of the teachers and other employees that the salaries don't exist. Salaries mean money and money is the spine of life, and without it I don't think anyone can live and there shall be suffering. We are almost begging." SCHOOL BUILDING
  • Embargoed: 1st May 2017 11:41
  • Keywords: children education war teachers schools Yemen UNICEF U.N. United Nations
  • Location: SANAA, YEMEN
  • City: SANAA, YEMEN
  • Country: Yemen
  • Topics: Education,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016CSDLXX
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: These children in this school in Sanaa are the lucky ones - they still have a teacher and a classroom to study in.
    But the U.N. says more than 70 percent of Yemen's children are being denied an education by a massive shortage of teachers, who have not been paid since October 2016.
    Many schools have closed or are running with overcrowded classrooms and fewer teachers. Over 166,000 teachers in Yemen - about 73 percent - have not received a salary for over six months, affecting 78 percent of schools across the country, U.N. representative to Yemen, Mertixell Relano said on Thursday (April 13).
    "At the moment we have more than 166,000 teachers in the country, that they have not received the salary since October last year. This is more or less 73 percent of the total number of teachers in the country. This means that 78 percent of the schools in the country have been affected; this is more than 13,000 schools that have been affected. This means that more than four million children are being affected by this situation. It's actually 4.5 million children that are being affected by this situation," said Relano at a news conference in Sanaa.
    Almost 13 governorates have been affected by the school crisis, making the majority of Yemeni children at risk of not completing the school year and falling behind on their studies.
    "The schools in the country are closing ahead of time because of this shortage of teachers. Teachers cannot go to the school anymore, they don't have the money to pay the transport or they have to find their own means of living because they have not received any salary since October," Relano said.
    The shortage in teachers means that last year's education crisis could be repeated, or worsen.
    The crisis largely began last year when the internationally-recognised government shifted Yemen's central bank out of Sanaa, which is controlled by the armed Houthi movement with which it is at war.
    The government says the Houthis looted the bank and that it is trying to make all payments despite what it calls Houthi obstruction of the transfers - charges the group denies.
    Seven months of salaries remain in arrears, public sector employees in Houthi-controlled northern lands say, making travel to work and paying for basic necessities more difficult.
    Relano said the lack of education in a war-torn country like Yemen carries greater risk for the children than not passing exams.
    "In addition, those children that are not in the school, they are at risk of being recruited (for military service), or the girls might be at risk of being married earlier. So there are many risks if the children are not going to schools especially in the older ages," she said.
    The U.N. has called on the education authorities to find an immediate solution to provide teachers with their salaries.
    Relano called for an unconditional commitment from all sides of the conflict to support Yemeni teachers and the education of upcoming Yemeni generations.
    Teachers say they cannot survive without money.
    "I am talking on behalf of myself and the rest of the teachers and other employees that the salaries don't exist. Salaries mean money and money is the spine of life, and without it I don't think anyone can live and there shall be suffering. We are almost begging," said Hoda Al Khoulani, a teacher at one of the local schools in Sanaa.
    The U.N. has renovated over 600 schools since the conflict escalated back in 2015, with 500 more undergoing renovations.
    It has also provided more than 600,000 students with learning materials and trained thousands of teachers to offer psychosocial support to their students, helping almost 400,000 students in the process.
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