Here's an article I wrote for Yemen Today Magazine on education in Yemen:
It was Aristotle who said, “All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” Education enables social progress and reform and remains the most reliable catalyst of change. It teaches society to organize its resources and priorities, therefore allowing it to navigate its way in the direction of its choosing. In this day and age, being denied an education is not only damaging to an individual on a personal level, but translates to the society as a whole.
Every nation houses a ratio of individuals that lack a proper education, and while this number fluctuates depending on the area in question, in Yemen, with an adult literacy rate of 54% according to USAID, it seems that those possessing a solid education are the exception, not the rule. In addition to low numbers in participation, especially in regards to females whose attendance rate is only 45% in primary school and 15% secondary school, the quality of the educational content received is also in question.
There are two types of educational systems in Yemen, government funded schools (equivalent to public schools) and non-government funded schools (equivalent to private schools). I spoke with two employees of Shebab Net Radio Station, Mohammed Al-Selwi, Manager, and Sherine Al-Aghabri Assistant Manager and Program Representative, to get some feedback on the educational system from those still closely involved in the area. Shebab Net is an internet based broadcasting company that focuses on a variety of social issues, but puts emphasis on those surrounding education. Mohammed feels there is a significant difference between governmental versus non-governmental schools. “Teachers get paid more so they have money for more resources and are more motivated to teach,” he explained. “There are also more activities, more opportunities to study lab sciences, more libraries and a larger network of computers.” Sherine feels that the “smaller teacher to student ratio and more focused learning environment” are the main differences between the two institutions. Both felt that while parents pay more to send their students to non-governmental institutions, even these schools are decreasing their standards with time.
A teacher at a local governmental Middle school in Sana’a referred to as Khalid under his request to remain anonymous, holds similar views and feels that the corrupt nature of the system is mostly to blame. “Corruption happens in all of the governmental schools, but also in the non-governmental institutions, just in a slightly different way. In most of the private schools there is not an honest educational system, the real goal is investment. You can imagine what kind of education you will get when this is the goal.”
Referring more in depth to the issue of corruption, Khalid continued to explain that the administration that heads his school has little to no experience in their current positions. “The directors of the school don’t have experience; they got their position because they have a good relationship with a shake or figure of authority.” He explained that when he visits most schools he feels as though, “It’s a school for one family from the perspective of administration because the staff and teachers are all from the same family or party or tribe or have a mutual friend of importance. It’s impossible for someone to become the director unless they have a relationship with someone of importance and share the same ideas as that person.”
Khalid, very passionate about the issue, mentioned that in addition to lacking an administration with any experience, the government does not have enough facilities to meet the needs of the students. “The problem is the crowded schools, imagine if in one class there were over 100 students. How can 100 students learn in 40 minutes or from one teacher?” Khalid continued to explain that under such circumstances, both he and the students get frustrated with one another as he wants the students to be attentive and engaged while the students, young and without a proper structure, just want to play. He mentioned, “I’m very lucky to only have between 50 and 54 students in my class.” Apparently, because his school is one of the higher ranking in Sana’a, they are able to attain more government support than most, allowing them to have reduced class sizes in comparison to other schools.
Sherine and Mohammed from Shebab Net only supported Khalid’s statements. “Not all the teachers are experienced in what they teach; they need to be more qualified. In Yemen, it’s like anyone can teach with no real qualifications,” reported Sherine. In addition to the lack of qualifications and experience, she continued to tell me that often, teachers are suppose to teach a certain amount of material within a designated time frame, such as a certain amount of chapters in the class book per year, but often fail to meet this standard. Mohammed added that, “There’s no one monitoring teachers in the school system here so they don’t do their job since no one is there to keep them in check.”
Teaching methods in Yemen or lack there of, often require youth to educate themselves, but with limited resources and motivation, the results are not uplifting. “In middle school science books,” Sherine described, “there’s no information inside of them. There are mostly pictures and questions, but when the students ask the teachers about the missing information they say it’s intended to be this way because the teachers want the students to go and look for the information themselves, but this isn’t always possible.”
Furthermore, when students do get the opportunity to learn, teaching methods fail to take a hands on approach. “Subjects like computer science are taught with books instead of actual computers due to a shortage of supplies,” explained Mohammed. “One month, when I was attending Abdul Nasser High School, ranked as one of the best schools in Yemen, we only had one lab science class a month and when we did finally go, we didn’t do anything. The lab was exactly the same as the normal science class.” He emphasized his frustration with the inadequacy of the school system in Yemen by telling me how he was helping his nephew with his math homework and realized the math book he was learning from hadn’t been updated in 21 years.
Concerning as this information may be, these experiences are coming from individuals that reside inside Sana’a, a well developed city in Yemen compared to the structure that exists in the rural areas, where 80% of the population takes residence. If resources and teaching qualifications are suffering to this degree in the city, it can only be assumed that the problems are magnified in areas where communication, transportation, and resources are in greater scarcity.
Overwhelmed by the large obstacles which seem to permeate the school system in Yemen, I moved on to the more focused issue of school supplies, asking Khalid if schools provide books for students. “Not always,” he answered, “A lot of students complain that they don’t have books. At beginning of the school year all the students pay a small sum covering registration fees and books, however not all receive the books they pay for. Often, if students register late then they won’t receive books.” He estimates that around 15-20% of students don’t receive books and must buy from outside sources, but this is expensive and not usually feasible. In Sherine and Mohammed’s experience, they usually had to buy their books from outside sources which, was often expensive and the books could be a challenge to locate.
Other issues, such as parental support, are also a factor. Khalid feels that in general, parents want their students to get an education. Sherine partially agreed, stating that, “If parents are educated then they’ll push their children to receive an education as well. If parents aren’t educated they tend to only encourage their sons to go to school until they can read and write, but after that school is no longer seen as important. I feel this has encouraged youth to not care about education.”
In addition to all these factors, Sherine and Mohammed informed me that if a student doesn’t do well in school and can’t get into a college because their grades aren’t adequate, that student can buy their way into a university. Apparently this is a common occurrence which negatively affects the caliber of University participants as well as the general academic atmosphere while decreasing competition. Mohammed furthered this point by saying that “Because of this, often people in high positions, such as doctors and engineers, don’t really know what they’re doing. As a result there’s a lack of trust between the community and these educated professionals.”
Khalid told me that, “A country’s educational system is like a headline for the society as a whole. If there’s a decent educational system, there tends to be good health care, security, and so on also in place.” If Yemen’s overall progress in its various sectors of society is any reflection of the success of its educational system, then education is screaming for attention. Is anyone listening?
It was Aristotle who said, “All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” Education enables social progress and reform and remains the most reliable catalyst of change. It teaches society to organize its resources and priorities, therefore allowing it to navigate its way in the direction of its choosing. In this day and age, being denied an education is not only damaging to an individual on a personal level, but translates to the society as a whole.
Every nation houses a ratio of individuals that lack a proper education, and while this number fluctuates depending on the area in question, in Yemen, with an adult literacy rate of 54% according to USAID, it seems that those possessing a solid education are the exception, not the rule. In addition to low numbers in participation, especially in regards to females whose attendance rate is only 45% in primary school and 15% secondary school, the quality of the educational content received is also in question.
There are two types of educational systems in Yemen, government funded schools (equivalent to public schools) and non-government funded schools (equivalent to private schools). I spoke with two employees of Shebab Net Radio Station, Mohammed Al-Selwi, Manager, and Sherine Al-Aghabri Assistant Manager and Program Representative, to get some feedback on the educational system from those still closely involved in the area. Shebab Net is an internet based broadcasting company that focuses on a variety of social issues, but puts emphasis on those surrounding education. Mohammed feels there is a significant difference between governmental versus non-governmental schools. “Teachers get paid more so they have money for more resources and are more motivated to teach,” he explained. “There are also more activities, more opportunities to study lab sciences, more libraries and a larger network of computers.” Sherine feels that the “smaller teacher to student ratio and more focused learning environment” are the main differences between the two institutions. Both felt that while parents pay more to send their students to non-governmental institutions, even these schools are decreasing their standards with time.
A teacher at a local governmental Middle school in Sana’a referred to as Khalid under his request to remain anonymous, holds similar views and feels that the corrupt nature of the system is mostly to blame. “Corruption happens in all of the governmental schools, but also in the non-governmental institutions, just in a slightly different way. In most of the private schools there is not an honest educational system, the real goal is investment. You can imagine what kind of education you will get when this is the goal.”
Referring more in depth to the issue of corruption, Khalid continued to explain that the administration that heads his school has little to no experience in their current positions. “The directors of the school don’t have experience; they got their position because they have a good relationship with a shake or figure of authority.” He explained that when he visits most schools he feels as though, “It’s a school for one family from the perspective of administration because the staff and teachers are all from the same family or party or tribe or have a mutual friend of importance. It’s impossible for someone to become the director unless they have a relationship with someone of importance and share the same ideas as that person.”
Khalid, very passionate about the issue, mentioned that in addition to lacking an administration with any experience, the government does not have enough facilities to meet the needs of the students. “The problem is the crowded schools, imagine if in one class there were over 100 students. How can 100 students learn in 40 minutes or from one teacher?” Khalid continued to explain that under such circumstances, both he and the students get frustrated with one another as he wants the students to be attentive and engaged while the students, young and without a proper structure, just want to play. He mentioned, “I’m very lucky to only have between 50 and 54 students in my class.” Apparently, because his school is one of the higher ranking in Sana’a, they are able to attain more government support than most, allowing them to have reduced class sizes in comparison to other schools.
Sherine and Mohammed from Shebab Net only supported Khalid’s statements. “Not all the teachers are experienced in what they teach; they need to be more qualified. In Yemen, it’s like anyone can teach with no real qualifications,” reported Sherine. In addition to the lack of qualifications and experience, she continued to tell me that often, teachers are suppose to teach a certain amount of material within a designated time frame, such as a certain amount of chapters in the class book per year, but often fail to meet this standard. Mohammed added that, “There’s no one monitoring teachers in the school system here so they don’t do their job since no one is there to keep them in check.”
Teaching methods in Yemen or lack there of, often require youth to educate themselves, but with limited resources and motivation, the results are not uplifting. “In middle school science books,” Sherine described, “there’s no information inside of them. There are mostly pictures and questions, but when the students ask the teachers about the missing information they say it’s intended to be this way because the teachers want the students to go and look for the information themselves, but this isn’t always possible.”
Furthermore, when students do get the opportunity to learn, teaching methods fail to take a hands on approach. “Subjects like computer science are taught with books instead of actual computers due to a shortage of supplies,” explained Mohammed. “One month, when I was attending Abdul Nasser High School, ranked as one of the best schools in Yemen, we only had one lab science class a month and when we did finally go, we didn’t do anything. The lab was exactly the same as the normal science class.” He emphasized his frustration with the inadequacy of the school system in Yemen by telling me how he was helping his nephew with his math homework and realized the math book he was learning from hadn’t been updated in 21 years.
Concerning as this information may be, these experiences are coming from individuals that reside inside Sana’a, a well developed city in Yemen compared to the structure that exists in the rural areas, where 80% of the population takes residence. If resources and teaching qualifications are suffering to this degree in the city, it can only be assumed that the problems are magnified in areas where communication, transportation, and resources are in greater scarcity.
Overwhelmed by the large obstacles which seem to permeate the school system in Yemen, I moved on to the more focused issue of school supplies, asking Khalid if schools provide books for students. “Not always,” he answered, “A lot of students complain that they don’t have books. At beginning of the school year all the students pay a small sum covering registration fees and books, however not all receive the books they pay for. Often, if students register late then they won’t receive books.” He estimates that around 15-20% of students don’t receive books and must buy from outside sources, but this is expensive and not usually feasible. In Sherine and Mohammed’s experience, they usually had to buy their books from outside sources which, was often expensive and the books could be a challenge to locate.
Other issues, such as parental support, are also a factor. Khalid feels that in general, parents want their students to get an education. Sherine partially agreed, stating that, “If parents are educated then they’ll push their children to receive an education as well. If parents aren’t educated they tend to only encourage their sons to go to school until they can read and write, but after that school is no longer seen as important. I feel this has encouraged youth to not care about education.”
In addition to all these factors, Sherine and Mohammed informed me that if a student doesn’t do well in school and can’t get into a college because their grades aren’t adequate, that student can buy their way into a university. Apparently this is a common occurrence which negatively affects the caliber of University participants as well as the general academic atmosphere while decreasing competition. Mohammed furthered this point by saying that “Because of this, often people in high positions, such as doctors and engineers, don’t really know what they’re doing. As a result there’s a lack of trust between the community and these educated professionals.”
Khalid told me that, “A country’s educational system is like a headline for the society as a whole. If there’s a decent educational system, there tends to be good health care, security, and so on also in place.” If Yemen’s overall progress in its various sectors of society is any reflection of the success of its educational system, then education is screaming for attention. Is anyone listening?
No comments:
Post a Comment