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Yemen

Moving sector planning forward amid the crisis

Despite a humanitarian crisis and an economy in tailspin, about 90% of Yemen's schools are open, with the government trying to continue the education of over 5 million children and youth, 73% of the student population. Against the odds,...
  • Partner since: 2003
  • Coordinating agency: UNESCO, Save the Children
  • Secretariat country lead: Tariq Khan
  • Board constituency: Eastern Europe, Middle East and Central Asia

Education in Yemen

Yemen considers education vital to eliminating poverty and is focused on ensuring that all children have access to quality education. The country’s development plans consistently prioritize human development and the education of the labor force.

While access to basic education has improved, Yemen still faces significant challenges, including girls’ enrollment, retention and completion rates, teacher quality and instructional materials, and emergency or conflict-afflicted areas.

The Medium-Term Results Framework 2013-2015 covered the period 2013-2015 and outlined 10 programs under 5 objectives. The country is in the process of developing a transitional sector plan through support from GPE and other development partners.

Blogs and news

Joint statement on the dire situation of teachers in Yemen
News
October 05, 2018
Joint statement on the dire situation of teachers in Yemen
On this joint statement, Education Cannot Wait, the Global Partnership for Education, UNESCO and UNICEF are calling for the resumption of salary payments for 145,000 Yemeni teachers, who teach...
A child on his way to school in Yemen. Credit: Yemeni in Calgary
News
August 14, 2018
Statement by the Global Partnership for Education Secretariat on the tragic killing of school children in Yemen
GPE stands firmly with the international community in calling on all parties for an end to the continuing violence that is taking the lives of children and teachers in Yemen.
A 7th grade class in Sudan. Credit: GPE/Kelley Lynch
Blog
March 28, 2018
We need better education data for better financing in emergency contexts
As shown through the examples of some Arab states like Sudan, Syria or Yemen, access to reliable data about education financing in conflict-affected situations is sorely lacking, making it harder to...

Latest grant

In Yemen, the ongoing conflict and the devastating consequences of forced displacement, and damaged and occupied school buildings have disrupted the education of 2.4 million children. Since the beginning of the conflict, child marriage and recruitment have increased, depriving millions of children of opportunities to learn.  

Credit: UNICEF

Increased population movements and the inability to find jobs have prevented parents to cover the basic needs of their children, including their education. Even when schools are open, and teachers available, parents are not able to send their children to school because they can’t afford buying basic learning materials.

Credit: Julien Harneis

In an effort to sensitize parents in marginalized and nomad communities of the importance of sending their children to school, UNICEF, with support from a GPE grant, launched a Back to School campaign last September – December in coordination with Communication for development (c4d) and Education program. The campaign targeted regions with low rates of school enrollment and retention. It also directly responded to the urgent needs of children affected by the conflict.

Credit: UNICEF

In several camps for internally displaced people (IDP), including the Al-Farsi in Aden, the Back to School campaign is raising awareness of the importance for children to have access to education through communication activities. These include puppet theaters, open drama and concerts, to name a few.  

Credit: UNICEF

Here, Communication for Development (C4D) community volunteers hold an open-theater in a community where internally displaced people have moved. Burykha district, Aden.

Credit: UNICEF

In Shabwa, C4D volunteers are engaging with community leaders through interpersonal sessions to discuss the importance of education.

Credit: UNICEF

Imams are also helping to spread the message, telling parents: “Attainment of knowledge is a must for every Muslim. Let your children go back to school.”

Credit: UNICEF

C4D community volunteers have staged a puppet theater in Abyan.

Credit: UNICEF

During these activities, messages target parents to ensure they understand the importance of sending their children to school and the steps they need to take to enroll their children. Children also hear the benefits of getting an education and are given tips to use on their way to school or at school to stay safe.

Credit: UNICEF

Thanks to GPE and UNICEF’s efforts, in areas with high concentrations of displaced persons, more than 1,400 teachers have received incentives and participated in training to support 63,000 displaced and host community children.

Credit: UNICEF

Layla,10 years old, is already a strong advocate for education: “I am currently a 4th grade student and I will continue going to school until I become a teacher.”

Credit: UNICEF

Development objective: Develop quality basic education, improve enrollment and equity and strengthen institutional capacities
Allocation:US$72,600,000
Years:2013-2019
Grant agent:UNICEF
Disbursements:US$32,996,611

The current GPE grant of US$72.6 million focuses on the following:

  1. Developing quality basic education through supporting school-based development, curriculum development, pre-school education, and improving teacher, school management, and inspector performance.
  2. Improving enrollment and equity through improving school physical environment, encouraging equitable access, promoting access for out-of-school children, and supporting adult literacy.
  3. Strengthening institutional capacities through deploying and managing the Education Management and Information System (EMIS), training on quality management and school accreditation teams, and developing a new education strategy for 2016-2025.

Grant restructuring

Since January 2015, Yemen has been facing a high level of violence and insecurity due to armed conflict. In view of this, the GPE grant was restructured to support most urgent needs of the education sector.

The latest restructuring includes a 1-year extension (2018-19) and the adjustment of annual targets for new classrooms and new labs, resulting in the reallocation of US$12.2 million.

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Grants

All amounts are in US dollars.

Grant type Years Allocations Disbursements Grant agent  
Program implementation 2014-2019 72,600,000 32,996,611 UNICEF Progress report
2013-2014 10,000,000 10,000,000 UNICEF Completion report
2009-2013 19,989,071 19,989,071 IBRD Completion report
2006-2007 10,000,000 10,000,000 IBRD
2004-2005 9,777,701 9,777,701 IBRD
  TOTAL 122,366,772 82,763,383    

Education sector progress

The graphs below show overall progress in the education sector in Yemen. For detailed results from GPE funding, please look for progress reports in the grants section.

Access

Primary completion rate (%)

Lower secondary completion rate

Out-of-school rate for children of primary school age

Out-of-school rate for adolescents of lower secondary school age

Pre-primary gross enrollment rate

Gender parity index for out-of-school rate – Primary and lower secondary

Public expenditure on education as share of GDP (%)

Public expenditure on education as a share of public expenditure (%)

Students/trained teacher ratio

Teachers trained (%)

Source: World Bank - Education Data
Data on education are compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics from official responses to surveys and from reports provided by education authorities in each country.

Last updated September 20, 2018