Pupils learn amid bomb-damaged schools
199 views · Published 25 December 2018 · 2:35 · Indexed 4 November 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(19 Dec 2018) LEADIN The education of Yemen's schoolchildren has been devastated by conflict. According to UNICEF, since 2015, about half a million Yemeni children have dropped out of education. But some schools are struggling on, teaching lessons in bomb-shattered buildings. STORYLINE These students in the courtyard of their school in Taiz are trying to learn. They're sticking to tradition - chanting the national anthem every morning. But Yemen's education system has been devastated by the country's brutal conflict. Since the war began in 2015, families here have suffered. The conflict has killed thousands of people, torn the nation apart, and set back the standard of living. It has had a devastating impact on education, with half a million Yemeni children abandoning their lessons. Intzar Anam, the principal of Arwa School in Taiz, explains. "We had 2,000 students in our school before the war started. (In 2015) the school was intact, in a good shape. It was one of the best schools in Taiz city," she says. "But with the country's ongoing war, parts of the school were destroyed and many of the school's students fled Taiz to other safe areas." There is no doubt that the war will end one day, but what fate awaits them? And how they will face life deprived of their most basic rights to learning during more than three years of war so far. The International Red Cross in Yemen claims about 2,500 schools have been destroyed, partially damaged or turned into shelters for the displaced. Their figures show that 2 million children cannot attend school as a result. Intzar Anam says it's a huge challenge. "We are suffering from a lack of students' chairs, school books, and especially books of primary and high school level," she says. The impoverished country has already endured decades of low educational standards. It's feared the continuation of the war could make the system grind to a halt. Intzar Anam says it's hard to know what the future holds. According to the United Nations, Yemen is suffering the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with more than 6,000 of its children killed or injured so far. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/a5fcef4e06924790407301565c3c80d8
