Sanaa University under Siege: Fake Degrees and Houthi-Ordered Academic Titles

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The decision to grant Mahdi al-Mashat, the head of the so-called “Supreme Political Council” affiliated with the Houthis, a master’s degree with honors in political science from Sana’a University has sparked widespread ridicule and outrage in Yemen, particularly within academic circles. This was not merely a personal accolade; many see it as a reflection of the Houthis’ strategy to dismantle higher education and turn it into a tool for consolidating their power by forging degrees and awarding academic titles to those who serve their agenda, both domestically and internationally.

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This issue goes beyond al-Mashat’s so-called “honor.” It reveals a systematic network of corruption within universities under Houthi control, where degrees are handed out to their leaders, and others are sold for large sums of money, turning education into a multi-million-dollar business.

While university students struggle with deteriorating education quality and the absence of a true academic environment, Houthi leaders and their affiliates take a shortcut to obtaining academic titles without effort or merit.

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Degrees by Command: Education in the Service of Power

Sana’a University, under Houthi control, announced that Mahdi al-Mashat was awarded a master’s degree with honors in political science, with a recommendation to print and distribute his thesis to Arab universities.

However, the thesis was not defended in a university hall as per academic norms; instead, the discussion session took place in the Republican Palace, raising serious questions about the independence of educational institutions under Houthi dominance.

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According to academic sources, the thesis was nothing more than a propaganda document glorifying the Houthi coup of 2014 and advocating for its inclusion in school curricula. This underscores the group’s efforts to “legitimize” their coup through academia.

Yemeni academics argue that this is not just a procedural violation but a calculated effort to use academic research to reinforce the Houthis’ ideological and political dominance, as universities are pressured to produce research that aligns with the group’s narrative.

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Education Under Houthi Control: Forgery in Exchange for Loyalty

The al-Mashat case is just the tip of the iceberg in the broader corruption of higher education under Houthi rule. Academic sources reveal that the group has granted nearly 400 advanced degrees to its members in recent years without meeting research standards. This is part of a strategy to grant “academic legitimacy” to its leaders, particularly those who assumed key positions following the 2014 coup.

The Houthis’ academic fraud is not limited to awarding degrees to their officials; it extends to selling bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to loyalists inside Yemen and Yemeni expatriates abroad who use them for legal and professional advantages.

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According to sources, these degrees are sold for prices ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. They are delivered either through intermediaries in Yemen or via secret meetings in neighboring countries, with recipients obtaining their degrees without passing any academic assessments.

A Strategy of Fraud: Degrees in Fields Hard to Verify

The Houthis focus on selling degrees in disciplines where forgery is difficult to detect, such as accounting, management, economics, and social sciences. In contrast, degrees in medicine and engineering are restricted to individuals with actual academic backgrounds.

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This strategy allows the academic fraud to continue without drawing significant attention, as employers often struggle to verify the authenticity of degrees in non-applied fields.

For Yemeni expatriates, the Houthis have started exploiting their legal status needs in Western countries. Some group supporters living as refugees have requested university degrees to facilitate employment, and the Houthis have quickly provided them, turning education into a profitable business that preys on refugees while strengthening the group’s influence abroad.

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Sana’a University: From Academic Institution to Houthi Power Hub

Once regarded as one of the most prestigious universities in the region, Sana’a University has become a political tool serving Houthi interests. Classrooms are no longer spaces for knowledge exchange but have turned into platforms for indoctrination and the glorification of Houthi leaders, with no real academic oversight.

University professors warn that awarding degrees in this manner undermines the credibility of academic certificates from Yemeni institutions. As a result, genuine graduates face increasing difficulties in having their degrees recognized internationally amid growing doubts about the legitimacy of education in Houthi-controlled areas.

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Education in Yemen: Between Destruction and Commercialization

What is happening in Yemen is a systematic destruction of the education sector. The Houthis have not only turned schools into ideological training centers but have also extended their manipulation to universities, creating a so-called “educated elite” that is loyal to them yet academically unqualified.

As the Yemeni crisis persists, educational institutions will likely remain hostages to political agendas unless regional and international measures are taken to curb these violations—whether by pressuring for the restoration of university independence or by refusing to recognize degrees issued by institutions under Houthi control.

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