UNESCO approves education development plan for Yemen

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Education Group approved the preparation of a plan for the development of education in Yemen during the period 2024-2030 and the implementation of a comprehensive educational survey for the period 2024-2025.

This came at the end of her work in Cairo, Egypt, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Education in the Yemeni government, Ali Al-Abab, the Global Partnership for Education and the World Bank, UNESCO, UNICEF and child welfare organizations, the US Agency for Development, the German Agency for International Cooperation, the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning in Paris, the Social Fund for Development, and representatives of the Yemeni Coalition for Education for All.

UNESCO is committed to proceeding with the launch of the 2025 plan in Yemen as part of Group V, and to supporting the Yemeni Ministry of Education in the process of preparing a partnership charter to support the education system in Yemen.

Yemen’s education sector is one of the largest affected by the country’s eight-year war, and the reality of education is very poor.

Illiteracy has increased by about 70 percent in rural areas and 40 percent in urban areas.

Quality education has become a elusive dream, especially in Houthi-controlled areas.

Education and war

The war has forced thousands of teachers to drop out of school and look for sources of livelihood, following a salary cut.

The division in the management of the educational process between the legitimate government and the Houthis has worsened matters.

Thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students have fled Houthi-controlled areas to areas controlled by government forces.