Students at Yemen's "rubble school" struggle to keep learning

By Xinhua Published: Apr 21, 2022 10:17 AM

Yemeni students are seen at the destroyed Shuhada-Alwahdah school in Al-Radhmah district, Ibb province, western Yemen, on April 11, 2022. Thousands of schools have been destroyed and abandoned in Yemen as a result of the civil war, according to teacher's unions, which warn that illiteracy among the younger generation is on the rise and the country's future is being gradually destroyed.(Photo: Xinhua)

A Yemeni student reads a book at the destroyed Shuhada-Alwahdah school in Al-Radhmah district, Ibb province, western Yemen, on April 11, 2022. Thousands of schools have been destroyed and abandoned in Yemen as a result of the civil war, according to teacher's unions, which warn that illiteracy among the younger generation is on the rise and the country's future is being gradually destroyed.(Photo: Xinhua)

A Yemeni student is seen at the destroyed Shuhada-Alwahdah school in Al-Radhmah district, Ibb province, western Yemen, on April 12, 2022. Thousands of schools have been destroyed and abandoned in Yemen as a result of the civil war, according to teacher's unions, which warn that illiteracy among the younger generation is on the rise and the country's future is being gradually destroyed.(Photo: Xinhua)

"I love going to school and reading stories. I was really disappointed and sad when our school was bombarded and many books were burned," said Abdul Wahab Al-Dhaibani, a Yemeni schoolboy in Ibb province in western Yemen.

As the World Book Day on April 23 is approaching, the schoolboy standing in front of the rubble of the only building of Shuhada-Alwahdah school, tells how he and his classmates have struggled to keep learning and reading books.

Half of the only building at the school was reduced to rubble by an airstrike in 2015, while the other half has hung in the balance ever since, defying gravity.

On every school day, Abdul Wahab Al-Dhaibani and his classmates have to climb through holes in shattered walls and hike up unstable steps to reach their dim and dingy classroom.

There are no windows, doors, chairs, or desks in the classroom. Students have to cram together and squat on the concrete ground during class.

However, for the majority of the pupils here, the school's severe environment is not their primary concern.

"The challenge is that we don't have enough books. The entire class has to share one rumpled textbook," said Amjed Al-Riashi, a 13-year-old schoolboy who was standing among the rubble.

The textbook the entire class is using is a well-thumbed book that was printed over a decade ago, which is regarded by the class as a valuable asset. During class, the teacher would copy its content on the blackboard.

"This is our way of reading books. Still, I consider myself lucky because many children in Yemen have never seen a book in their life," Riashi said.

According to a recent report released by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), over 2 million school-aged girls and boys in Yemen have dropped out of school due to poverty and conflicts in the war-torn country.

Thousands of schools have been destroyed and abandoned in Yemen as a result of the civil war, according to teacher's unions, which warn that illiteracy among the younger generation is on the rise and the country's future is being gradually destroyed.

Arif Al-Shami, the headmaster of the Shuhada-Alwahdah school, said he tried to raise funds to rebuild the school, but to no avail. What's worse, the school is already having trouble covering day-to-day expenses like textbooks, electricity, and even the teachers' salaries.

"Every month, over 100 students in the school give the teachers 20,000 to 25,000 Yemeni rials (about 40 to 45 U.S. dollars) to keep the school running. However, because all public financing has been cut off, the money is far from enough to cover the school's expenses," said the headmaster, adding teachers also rely on the money to make a living.

Most of the teachers at the school have chosen to leave in order to find better-paying jobs in order to support their families, according to the schoolmaster, but two people, including himself, have chosen to stay against the odds.

"Despite all the difficulties, we have chosen to stay on the job because of our responsibility. We don't want our children to be left out of school. We love our country, and the children are its future," Shami said.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the country to the brink of starvation, according to the UN. It has also decimated the country's education system and deprived a generation of Yemenis of proper education.

The rubble school of Ibb is accurately emblematic of the country's failing education system, which is desperately in need of help.

"We beseech humanitarian organizations to help us in renovating the school, rebuilding the building and providing the students with school textbooks," Shami said, adding the school will not be able to function for long if support is not provided.

"We love our school even though it is only a pile of rubbles. We hope we can continue our education and become doctors or engineers after graduation, just like students in other countries," said Ebraheem Muneer, another student in the school, standing in front of a slanted roof that refuses to give in.