التحديات التعليمية في الجزائر: عمل جار

كتبه – موجي دينار

Algeria to ease primary school programme. Photo by Magharebia

تعرف الجزائر بأنها أكبر دولة جغرافيا في أفريقيا، وتقع في شمال أفريقيا. ويمكن تقسيم هذا البلد إلى قسمين منفصلين, أحدهما تحت تأثير البحر الأبيض المتوسط مع جبال الأطلس كما يعرف تل والآخر يتكون في الغالب من الصحراء الواقعة في الجزء الغربي من الشرع. يبلغ مجموع السكان الذين يعيشون في الجزائر حوالي ٤٤ مليون نسمة..

استقلت الجزائر بعد أكثر من ١٣٠ سنة من الاستعمار سنة ١٩٦٢. خلال الاستعمار، تم بناء نظام التعليم ليعكس نظام فرنسا، الذي كان يخدمه في الغالب السكان الفرنسيون ونخبة جزائرية صغيرة نسبيا. عندما انتهت حرب الاستقلال الجزائرية، كان ما يقرب من ٩٠٪ من السكان أميين. ونتيجة لذلك، ذهبت البلاد إلى إنشاء الجزائر جديدة من خلال اتباع التعريب.

في عام ١٩٩٠، كان الإنفاق على التعليم مرتفعًا، حيث بلغ ٢٩.٧٪ من الميزانية الوطنية. ووضع التعليم في صميم إعادة بناء البلد عن طريق إنشاء قوة ماهرة وأشخاص يتقاسمون نفس الوعي الوطني.وعلى الرغم من أن محاولاتهم لإصلاح نظام التعليم بعد حرب العالمية الثانية، فإن التقدم المحرز في تعليم الأطفال لا يزال غير كاف. وبناء على ذلك، شكل التاريخ الاستعماري والجنس والعرق والدين فرص التعليم للأطفال.

أما اليوم فالتعليم بجميع مراحله مجاني في الجزائر بشرط اجتياز الدورة السابقة. يتم تطبيق السياسة الاجتماعية من قبل الدولة في قطاع التعليم، وقد يكون هذا مرتبطًا بالانتقال الديمقراطي، على الرغم من أنه قابل للنقاش حول مدى نجاحه. يشمل النظام المدرسي الجزائري ثلاث دورات هي المرحلة الابتدائية والمتوسطة والثانوية. تسع سنوات من التعليم من سن ٦ إلى ١٤ ، أول دورتين إلزامية ومعدل الحضور مرتفع جدا. والتعليم الثانوي إلزامي أيضا مع وجود أعداد كبيرة من المتسربين.

التحديات الرئيسية في التعليم

درجة البكالوريوس هي الحد الأدنى من متطلبات التدريس، ومع ذلك، هناك اختلافات في برامج إعداد المعلمين وبرامج التدريب أثناء الخدمة. ١٧٪ فقط من معلمي المدارس الابتدائية يحملون هذه الشهادة، وما يقرب من ٧٠٪ من معلمي المدارس المتوسطة لا يملكون هذه الشهادة. علاوة على ذلك، فإن الفعالية الداخلية للنظام التعليمي أقل بكثير مما يتوقعه المجتمع، كما يتضح من ارتفاع معدلات التسرب من المدارس والتكرار بين الطلاب.

وتشكل المرافق التي لا تتم صيانتها بشكل جيد، والافتقار إلى المدرسين وحيز الفصول الدراسية، ولا سيما في المجتمعات المحرومة، أمثلة على عدم كفاية الهياكل الأساسية. ويؤدي الافتقار إلى اللوائح والمرافق التعليمية إلى تقييد التعليم قبل الابتدائي. ويطلب من العديد من الطلاب تكرار الدرجات، وخاصة في المرحلة الثانوية الدنيا، مما يحفزهم على التسرب..

يرجع سبب انخفاض جودة التعليم إلى نظام الدرجات الذي يقيس كيفية أداء المتقدمين للاختبار على النقيض من أقرانهم بدلاً من مقدار المعلومات التي يعرفونها، من خلال التعليمات التي تعطي الأولوية للمحتوى على التعلم, وغياب المشاركة من أصحاب المصلحة المهمين. وتقل نتائج الاختبارات الدولية بنسبة ٢٠٪ عن المتوسط العالمي. وكثير من الأطفال غير الملتحقين بالمدارس هم من الأطفال المعوقين. المراكز المتخصصة شحيحة، ومحاولات دمج الطلاب في الفصول العادية تقصر.

التفاوت الاقتصادي

ما يقرب من ٢٪ من الأولاد في سن المدرسة الابتدائية غير ملتحقين بالمدارس، وهو تقريبا نفس المعدل للفتيات. يزداد التفاوت بين الجنسين في المدارس الثانوية؛ إذ لا يلتحق ١٧٪ من الشباب الذكور و١٤٪ من الشابات بالمدرسة أبدًا. وفي كل من المدارس الابتدائية والثانوية، يمكن تحقيق أكبر قدر من التفاوت بين أفقر وأغنى الأطفال غير الملتحقين بالمدارس. في حين أن حضور أفقر الأطفال في المدارس الابتدائية ينخفض بنسبة ١٪ مقارنة بأغنى الأطفال، إلا أنه ينخفض بنسبة 20% في مستوى التعليم الثانوي مع الأخذ في الاعتبار الظروف الاقتصادية السيئة للأسر. ويبين كيف أن الظروف الاقتصادية تعوق الأطفال عن الوصول إلى حقهم الرئيسي في الحصول على التعليم. على الرغم من السياسات الاجتماعية للدولة، فإن معظم الأطفال في الجزائر غير قادرين على الحصول على مستوى أساسي من التعليم بسبب الظروف الاقتصادية غير الملائمة.

تلعب الخصائص الاجتماعية والاقتصادية التمييزية دورًا كبيرًا في التعليم في دولة الجزائر. الثروة المنزلية، والاختلافات الاجتماعية، والتفاوتات الاقتصادية الإقليمية والمستوى التعليمي للأم هي العوامل السائدة التي تؤثر على عدم التوازن التعليمي في الجزائر. هناك حاجة ماسة لحوافز من قبل الحكومة للأطفال الذين يمكنهم تحمل تكاليف التعليم أو للأطفال الذين يتعين عليهم العمل من أجل إعالة أسرهم. من ناحية أخرى، انخفضت الاختلافات الإقليمية والاجتماعية، وفقا لتحليل التطورات على مدى السنوات العشر الماضية. ونتيجة لذلك، تحسنت المساواة في النظام التعليمي الجزائري. ومع ذلك، هناك حاجة إلى مزيد من الاستثمار لخلق مستويات اقتصادية متجانسة في كل منطقة لحل الفوارق التعليمية بين الأطفال..

الإنفاق على التعليم

عانى اقتصاد الجزائر من ضربة لميزانية الحكومة بسبب الاقتصاد المعتمد على النفط في البلاد. بدأ الصراع في الاقتصاد في عام ٢٠١٤ مع انخفاض أسعار النفط العالمية. أدى الاعتماد على تصدير النفط والغاز، بدلاً من الاستثمار في قطاعات أخرى، إلى وضع الجزائر في وضع ضعيف بسبب انهيار التجارة خلال كوفيد-١٩. وعلاوة على ذلك، ساهمت هذه الحالة في فقر متعدد الأبعاد أثر أيضا على التعليم في بعد كبير. انخفض الإنفاق على التعليم من ٧.٣٪ إلى ٦.١٪ بسبب الوباء. نأمل أن يرتفع الإنفاق على التعليم إلى ٧٪ في عام ٢٠٢٠ وأن يعود إلى مستوياته الطبيعية قبل الوباء.

على الرغم من أن البلاد توفر تسع سنوات من التعليم الإلزامي والمجاني لجميع مستويات التعليم، إلا أن الجزائر لا تزال بحاجة إلى تحسين بعض الأهداف لتوفير تعليم جيد, تحسين ظروف المعيشة وانخفاض البطالة من خلال إعطاء الأولوية لإنفاق الناتج المحلي الإجمالي على التعليم.

معدلات عالية من عدم التسجيل وإسقاط-الخروج

ووفقا لبيانات من اليونيسيف عن حالة التعليم، فإن مستويات الالتحاق الصافية هي كما يلي: في التعليم الابتدائي، يلتحق ٩٨٪ من الفتيان و ٩٧٪ من الفتيات; في المرحلة المتوسطة والثانوية، يلتحق ٥٧٪ من الأولاد و ٦٥٪ من البنات. وتوضح هذه الإحصاءات أن المستويات الأساسية للمشاركة كافية، ولكنها تتطلب مزيدا من النمو. في حين أن الحضور في المدارس الابتدائية هو نفسه تقريبًا لكلا الجنسين، فإنه يتغير بعد المدرسة الإعدادية عندما يكون حضور الأولاد في المدرسة أقل من الفتيات.

هناك ما يقرب من ٨.٥ مليون طفل يتلقون التعليم في مراحل التعليم الثلاث. ووفقا للتقرير، فإن حوالي ١ مليون طفل جزائري تتراوح أعمارهم بين ٥ و ١٤ سنة (أو ١٥٪ من هذه الفئة العمرية) يتأثرون بعوامل مختلفة لعدم التسجيل. معدل الالتحاق بالمدارس الابتدائية مرتفع. ومن ناحية أخرى، في مرحلة التعليم الثانوي، نصفهم ليسوا في المدرسة، والنصف الآخر مسجلون ولكنهم معرضون لخطر الانقطاع عن الدراسة قبل الانتهاء من الدورة.

وفي حين أن المشاركة في التعليم الأساسي تمثل مشكلة كبيرة يتعين حلها، فإن تسرب أطفال المدارس من المدارس يمثل مسألة حاسمة أخرى ينبغي الاهتمام بها. ووفقا للرابطة الجزائرية للدفاع عن حقوق الإنسان، فإن ٤٠٠٠٠٠ طفل ينقطعون عن الدراسة سنويا، بينما يواصل ٢٥٠٠٠ طفل الحصول على التدريب المهني. يحدث التسرب من المدارس في الغالب في الريف بسبب بعد المدارس وارتفاع معدلات الفقر. ومن المهم أن نضيف أن بعض المناطق غير مجهزة بشكل جيد بالمياه والتدفئة والكهرباء التي تجعل الحصول على التعليم مستحيلا بالنسبة للأطفال. كما أن الفصول الدراسية غير كافية مما يؤدي إلى الازدحام المفرط في الفصول الدراسية. هذه هي المثبطات الرئيسية للأطفال من الحصول على التعليم و ٤.٧٪منهم يتسربون من المدرسة نتيجة لذلك.

حاجز اللغة

بعد استقلالها عن فرنسا، تابعت البلد استخدام اللغة الفرنسية في المؤسسات وإدارة الأعمال، على الرغم من التطبيق الواسع لسياسة التعريب. اليوم اللغة الرسمية للجزائر هي العربية والأمازيغية، كما تم الاعتراف بالبربرية كلغة وطنية في عام ٢٠٠٢. أعلن الرئيس تبون في يونيو ٢٠٢٢ أن الحكومة اتخذت خطوة نحو الانتقال اللغوي إلى اللغة الإنجليزية في المدارس الابتدائية أيضًا. ويشير إلى عالمية اللغة الإنجليزية للتعلم من قبل الأطفال لمصلحتهم، بينما انتقد آخرون هذا الانتقال باعتباره أجندة سياسية تتعلق بتاريخ البلد.

في السنوات الأولى للجمهورية، وخاصة في ظل حكم هواري بومدين، هيمنت سياسات التعريب على تنفيذ سياسات التعليم. تم تطبيق القانون للتعميم باستخدام اللغة العربية في عام ١٩٩١. فشل تنفيذ التعريب في قطاع التعليم والأكاديميات والعمال في التحول إلى اللغة العربية بنجاح. أيضًا، تضررت مجموعة الجزائر المتنوعة عرقيًا بسبب هذا الانتقال..

واليوم، تجد الجزائر نفسها مرة أخرى في تدخل في الانتقال اللغوي على الرغم من التحديات الأخرى في قطاع التعليم التي تنتظر الحل. مع قرار استبدال اللغة الفرنسية باللغة الإنجليزية، تم إجراء تغيير جذري وسيؤثر هذا الوضع على أكثر من ٢٠٠٠٠ مدرسة في جميع أنحاء البلاد في عام ٢٠٢٣. بموجب المنهج الدراسي في عام ٢٠٢٢، يتم تدريس اللغة الإنجليزية في المدرسة الثانوية، بينما يبدأ الأطفال في سن التاسعة باللغة الفرنسية. ويترك الأطفال الجزائريون غير قادرين على الاستمرار أكاديميا بلغة واحدة بسبب عدم وضوح الأحكام المتعلقة بالانتقال إلى اللغة الإنجليزية في المدارس. وهذا سيعيق أيضا القوى العاملة في المستقبل لتشكيل لغة واحدة للقيام بالعمل.

بدأ التعليم العالي في تقديم اللغة الإنجليزية في العديد من الدرجات ، في حين أن بعضهم لا يزال يدرس باللغة الفرنسية. السؤال الرئيسي هو: هل هناك ما يكفي من الأكاديميين والمعلمين المؤهلين للقيام بما يلي
متابعة سياسة الانتقال اللغوي؟

Bejaia University. Photo by Vermondo.

انخفاض عدد الموظفين المؤهلين في التعليم العالي

كان الطلاب الذين التحقوا بالتعليم العالي يتألفون من ١.٥ مليون في عام ٢٠٢٠. والواقع أن معدل الالتحاق الإجمالي في التعليم العالي للمرأة أكبر من معدل التحاق الذكور. ٤١٪ من الإناث و١٩٪ من الذكور التحقوا بالتعليم العالي، وفقًا لبيانات الصادرة عن اليونسكو في عام ٢٠١٩. يشير هذا الاتجاه إلى أن الذكور أكثر عرضة للانقطاع عن الدراسة من الإناث في الجزائر. يلعب الفقر دورًا كبيرًا في عدم المساواة بين الجنسين في التعليم، فمن المحتمل أن يكون الأطفال الذكور من عمالة الأطفال لدعم أسرهم وأنفسهم. أيضًا، يميل الذكور إلى تكرار الفصول الدراسية أكثر من الإناث، وخطر فشلهم في الفصول الدراسية لإكمال تعليمهم أعلى.

التحسين النوعي للتدريس في مؤسسات التعليم العالي أمر لا بد منه. ٢٨٪ فقط من أعضاء هيئة التدريس في الجامعات يحملون شهادات الدكتوراه. ويجري التفاوض بشأن البرامج التي تمولها الحكومة لطلاب الدكتوراه للدراسة في الخارج. يعمل المجلس الثقافي البريطاني والوزارة معا على برنامج واسع النطاق للدراسات العليا للأشخاص الذين يرغبون في الدراسة في الخارج. ونأمل أن يساعد ذلك على تيسير إصلاح نظام التعليم العالي.

أطفال صحويين في مخيمات اللاجئين

يعيش أكثر من ١٧٣٠٠٠ لاجئ صحوي حاليا في خمسة مخيمات تقع في محافظة تندوف، الجزائر. نزح هؤلاء الأشخاص بعد أكثر من ٤٥ عامًا من فرارهم من الصراع. ويعاني الأطفال الذين يعيشون في المخيمات من الأمن الغذائي، والظروف الصحية، وعدم كفاية الحماية، والأهم من ذلك نقص التعليم.

يحصل ما يقرب من ٩٨٪ من الأطفال على التعليم الابتدائي، وتبلغ نسبة الأمية ٤٪. ومع ذلك، لا يتم توفير التعليم الثانوي والتعليم في المدارس الثانوية في المخيمات. يتكون كل مخيم من ست مدارس ابتدائية ومدرستين متوسطتين مع حوافز منخفضة للغاية وموارد منخفضة. ويستطيع الطلاب الصحراويين الالتحاق بالمدارس الثانوية والجامعات مجانا، ولكن معظمهم غير قادرين على تغطية نفقات السفر والمعيشة للانتقال إلى مدن أخرى. عدد من الطلاب الذكور الذين ينتقلون للدراسة، في حين أنه من غير الممكن للطالبات القيام بذلك..

أطلقت مفوضية الأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين واليونيسيف وبرنامج الأغذية العالمي استراتيجية التعليم الخمسية للاجئين الصحراويين في الجزائر للفترة ٢٠٢١-٢٠٢٥ في نوفمبر ٢٠٢١ بهدف تحسين الأطفال والمراهقين اللاجئين الصحراويين’ الحصول الشامل على تعليم عالي الجودة. كما يتم إعطاء ٢٤٤ طفلاً يعانون من إعاقات جسدية ومعرفية تعليم ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة في ١٠ مراكز منتشرة في جميع أنحاء المخيمات. تدعم المفوضية الأطفال اللاجئين من خلال تزويدهم بالكتب واللوازم المدرسية والوسائل التعليمية لتعزيز بيئة تعليمية آمنة.

Forgotten refugee crisis: Sahrawi refugees in Algeria. Photo by AMMILOUIZA LOUIZA AMMI

Cover Image: https://www.wamda.com/2015/07/how-will-technology-change-education-in-algeria

References

Footnotes

[1]Encyclopedia Britannica

https://www.britannica.com/place/Algeria

[2] Durham, B. (2021). Primary Education and the French Army During the Algerian War of Independence. In: Beier, J.M., Tabak, J. (eds) Childhoods in Peace and Conflict. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

[3] Rose, M. (2015). Education in North Africa since independence. In Paper commissioned for the Hammamet Conference. London: British Council.

[4] Durham, B. (2021). Primary Education and the French Army During the Algerian War of Independence. In: Beier, J.M., Tabak, J. (eds) Childhoods in Peace and Conflict. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

[5] https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/social-policy-in-algeria-a-historical-and-ideological-background/

[6] Education Data Center, Algeria: National Education Profile

https://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/EPDC_NEP_2018_Algeria.pdf

[7] WorldBank

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?end=2020&locations=DZ&start=1979&view=chart

[8] Education Data Center, Algeria: National Education Profile

https://www.epdc.org/sites/default/files/documents/EPDC_NEP_2018_Algeria.pdf

[9] UNICEF, Country Report: Algeria (2014)

https://www.unicef.org/mena/media/6526/file/Algeria%20Country%20Report%20on%20OOSC%20Summary_EN.pdf%20.pdf

[10] https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/social-policy-in-algeria-a-historical-and-ideological-background/

[11] World Bank

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GB.ZS?locations=DZ

[12] Tiliouine, H. (2015). Children’s Worlds National Report Algeria. Journal of Algerian Studies, 3, 48-70.

[13]  UNICEF, Country Report: Algeria (2014)

https://www.unicef.org/mena/media/6526/file/Algeria%20Country%20Report%20on%20OOSC%20Summary_EN.pdf%20.pdf

[14] https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20180417-algeria-400000-children-drop-out-of-school-annually/

[15] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62368931

[16] https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/algeria-changing-french-language-english-wont-resolve-t

[17] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-62368931

[18] https://www.statista.com/topics/9699/education-in-algeria/#topicOverview

[19] UNESCO, MICS 2019

https://www.education-inequalities.org/indicators/higher_1822/algeria/sexes#dimension1=%7B%22id%22%3A%22sex%22%2C%22filters%22%3A%5B%22Male%22%2C%22Female%22%5D%7D&ageGroup=%22attend_higher_1822%22&year=%222019%22

[20] Rose, M. (2015). Education in North Africa since independence. In Paper commissioned for the Hammamet Conference. London: British Council.

[21] ACAPS Briefing Note: Algeria: Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf (19 January 2022)

[22] ACAPS Briefing Note: Algeria: Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf (19 January 2022)

https://reliefweb.int/report/algeria/acaps-briefing-note-algeria-sahrawi-refugees-tindouf-19-january-2022

[23] UNHCR Algeria Fact Sheet – February 2023

التحديات التعليمية في اليمن: كيف يعرض الصراع التعليم للخطر

أطفال يمنيون يلعبون في أنقاض المباني التي دمرت في غارة جوية، تصوير بيتر بيرو
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eu_echo/48479825097/in/photostream/

ما الذي يحدث في اليمن منذ عام ٢٠١٥؟

اليمن لها جذور قديمة في مفترق طرق الشرق الأوسط وآسيا وأفريقيا، والجمهورية اليمنية هي دولة جديدة نسبيا. تم إنشاؤه في عام ١٩٩٠ بعد توحيد اليمن الجنوبي الشيوعي مع اليمن الشمالي.

تأثرت موجة الاحتجاجات في اليمن عام ٢٠١١ بالربيع العربي، ويعاني اليمن منذ ذلك الحين من حروب أهلية وعنف جهادي وعشائرية وفقر مدقع.

علاوة على ذلك، فإن المعاناة الناجمة عن الحرب الحالية منذ عام ٢٠١٥ بين تحالف تقوده المملكة العربية السعودية والحوثيين، وهي ميليشيا شيعية تدعمها إيران (البنك الدولي، ٢٠١٩). تم تقديم الدعم اللوجستي والاستخباراتي للتحالف الذي تقوده السعودية من الولايات المتحدة والمملكة المتحدة وفرنسا. ووفقا للأمم المتحدة، ارتكب كلا الجانبين في الحرب جرائم حرب. ومع ذلك، رفض الجانبان هذه المزاعم (البنك الدولي، ٢٠٢٣).

قبل وقت طويل من بدء الأزمة الحالية، كان تسييس التعليم في اليمن قضية. بادئ ذي بدء، لم يكن مطلوبًا ترخيص ولا أي نوع من الإشراف على المدارس الدينية، التي سبقت المدارس العامة ومؤسسات التعليم العالي التي تديرها الحكومة (ناجي، ٢٠٢١). ومع ذلك، أدى الصراع إلى تفاقم انهيار التعليم في البلد الذي كان ضعيفا بالفعل في نظامه التعليمي.

بشكل عام، لدى كل من الشمال والجنوب نظامهم التعليمي المستقل (طاهر وآخرون، ٢٠٢٢). ويعطي كل طرف من الأطراف المشاركة الأولوية للتنمية العسكرية بينما يتجاهل كل جانب من جوانب التقدم، مثل التعليم. لخدمة أهدافهم الأيديولوجية والسياسية الخاصة ، يقوم كل من هذه الأنظمة بإجراء تغييرات كبيرة على التعليم ، ومع ذلك فإن جودة التعليم آخذة في الانخفاض في كلا المكانين. الأطفال غير قادرين على الالتحاق بالمدارس بسبب النزاع والتشرد وانتشار الأمراض ونقص البنية التحتية والتمييز بين الجنسين.


Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eu_echo/48479676556/in/photostream/ مجموعة من الأطفال، نزحوا بسبب القتال في مدينة الحديدة اليمنية، يشاركون في دروس اللحاق بالركب في مخيم الرباط بالقرب من مدينة عدن اليمنية. تصوير بيتر بيرو

صعوبات التعليم المرتبطة بالنزاعات

وقد أثرت الهجمات على أطفال المدارس والمعلمين والبنية التحتية التعليمية، منذ بدء النزاع، على النظام التعليمي وعلى وصول ملايين الأطفال إلى فرص التعلم. يعاني اليمن من أزمة تعليمية خطيرة، سيكون لها آثار مدمرة طويلة الأمد على الأطفال (التعليم في اليمن، اليونيسف، ٢٠٢٣).

يحتاج حوالي ١١ مليون طفل يمني إلى مساعدات إنسانية، وأكثر من ٢.٤ مليون فتى وفتاة في سن المدرسة لا يذهبون إلى المدرسة (اليونيسف، ٢٠٢٣). العديد من العائلات غير قادرة على جلب أطفالها إلى المدرسة بسبب تكلفة الطعام والنفقات الأخرى المتعلقة بالمدرسة (مكافحة الجوع وضمان عودة الأطفال اليمنيين إلى المدرسة، ٢٠٢٣).

ووفقا لإحصاءات اليونيسف، هناك أكثر من مليوني طفل غير ملتحقين بالمدارس، وهناك ملايين عديدة بحاجة إلى المساعدة للتسجيل، وأكثر من ٢٠٪ من بين جميع المدارس الابتدائية والثانوية مغلقة (اللجنة الدولية للصليب الأحمر،
٢٠٢٢). قتل أو جرح طلاب ومعلمون في طريقهم إلى المدرسة. ولم تعد أسر عديدة ترسل أطفالها إلى المدارس، ولا سيما الفتيات، بسبب خطر النزاع وآثاره المالية. وتخفف الآثار النفسية للعنف من الأداء التعليمي للأطفال لأن العديد من الأطفال لم يعرفوا سوى الحياة في الصراع.

وقد تم تدمير واحد على الأقل من كل أربعة مرافق تعليمية، أو تلفها، أو استخدامها في استخدامات أخرى على مدى السنوات الثماني الماضية. ٥٨٪ من هذه المدارس تضررت بسبب النزاع و ٣٠٪ تستخدم كمراكز للحجر الصحي أو تشغلها الجماعات المسلحة (منظمة إنقاذ الطفولة الدولية، منظمة إنقاذ الطفولة اليمنية، ٢٠٢١).

بموجب القانون الإنساني الدولي، يتعين على أطراف الحرب اتخاذ جميع الاحتياطات اللازمة لحماية المدنيين والبنية التحتية المدنية. ينتج الضرر طويل الأمد عن العنف ضد الطلاب والمعلمين ومؤسسات التعليم العالي. كما أنه يجعل من الصعب استعادة النظام التعليمي بعد النزاع.

مشكلة النزوح

الصراع المستمر يجبر الناس على الانتقال إلى مناطق أخرى من البلاد. وقد انقطع حصول المشردين على التعليم فجأة بسبب تشريدهم. إن ١.٥ مليون طفل مشرد داخليا في سن المدرسة، و ٨٧٠٤٩٥ من الفتيات والفتيان ذوي الإعاقة، وأكثر من ٢ مليون طفل غير ملتحقين بالمدارس هم الأكثر عرضة للخطر (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية, ٢٠٢٣). بين سبتمبر وأكتوبر ٢٠٢٢، قامت المفوضية ومنظمة ديم للتنمية بتجديد الفصول الدراسية في المدارس بتمويل من مشروع التأثير السريع (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، ٢٠٢٣).

وتقوم المنظمات الدولية والمجتمعات المحلية بمهمة الوصول إلى الأطفال الذين يحتاجون إلى المساعدة الصحية والتعليمية في الأماكن المشردة والتي يصعب الوصول إليها. وشارك في البعثة مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية واليونيسيف ومفوضية الأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين وصندوق الأمم المتحدة للسكان وجهات أخرى.

مجموعة من الأطفال، نزحوا جراء القتال في مدينة الحديدة اليمنية. تصوير بيتر بيرو Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/eu_echo/48479828522

عدم الوصول إلى مرافق الرعاية الصحية ومرافق المياه والصرف الصحي والنظافة الصحية

كما يفتقر الكثير من الناس في اليمن إلى خدمات الرعاية الصحية والتغذية، ويعيش ٥٤٠٠٠٠ طفل في حالة سوء تغذية حاد وخدمات صحية غير كافية. تعد الحاجة إلى المياه والصرف الصحي والنظافة للأطفال أكثر شيوعًا في مناطق النزوح الجديدة والمناطق الريفية. تعتبر المساعدة في توفير المأوى والمياه والصرف الصحي والنظافة الصحية أهم عامل للأطفال لمتابعة تعليمهم. في عام ٢٠٢٣، سيحتاج أكثر من ٨.٦ مليون تلميذ إلى المساعدة وفقًا لمكتب الأمم المتحدة لتنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، العدد ١، ٢٠٢٣).)

نتيجة الحرب هي الأضرار التي لحقت بالبنية التحتية وتعطيل استيراد الوقود مما تسبب في ٦١٪ من اليمنيين عدم الوصول إلى المياه و ٤٢٪ من السكان ليس لديهم ما يكفي من الصرف الصحي (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، العدد ١، ٢٠٢٣). كما أن القدر الهائل من الوقت الذي يقضيه توصيل المياه يضر بالفرص التعليمية للأطفال. مع عدم وجود خيار سوى الذهاب إلى نقاط المياه مرتين في اليوم وحمل حاويات المياه البلاستيكية على رؤوسهم، اضطر العديد من الأطفال إلى ترك المدرسة (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، العدد ١, ٢٠٢٣).

تم إطلاق الأحداث لتحسين الوصول إلى المياه الآمنة رسميًا في فبراير ٢٠٢٢ من قبل المنظمة الدولية للهجرة و(مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، العدد ١، ٢٠٢٣). يمكن للعديد من الأطفال العودة إلى المدرسة وإنهاء تعليمهم، وخاصة الفتيات. ويفتح المشروع أيضا المجال أمام قدرة السكان على الانخراط في الزراعة وغيرها من أنشطة كسب الرزق.

نشر الأمراض والتحصين العاجل للأطفال

“وقال نعيم الخالدي ”إن الأزمة المطولة ونقص التمويل لحزب الشعب الجمهوري يهددان انعدام الأمن الغذائي، مما قد يؤدي إلى المجاعة وتفشي الأمراض والأوبئة“, منسق برنامج مؤسسة شباب تمدين (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، العدد ٢، ٢٠٢٣). على سبيل المثال، عاد شلل الأطفال بشكل مخيف إلى اليمن بعد سنوات من إعلان خلوه من المرض القاتل.

وقد تأثر الصراع بتفشي الأمراض المعدية الكبيرة، بما في ذلك بعض الأمراض التي كان من الممكن منعها بالتطعيم، مثل الكوليرا والدفتيريا وحمى الضنك والحصبة وظهور فيروسات شلل الأطفال المشتقة من اللقاحات. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، جعلت جائحة كوفيد-١٩ الحالة الصحية أسوأ..

تم تقديم مستوى جديد من المضاعفات لملايين أطفال المدارس في اليمن الذين يعانون من جائحة كوفيد-١٩. بالنسبة لملايين الفتيان والفتيات في اليمن، بعد الإبلاغ عن العديد من حالات المرض في مارس ٢٠٢٠ أغلقت المدارس وبقيت مغلقة لمدة ستة أشهر. على الرغم من إعادة فتح المدارس، إلا أن العديد من الأطفال لم يعودوا إلى الفصول الدراسية (منظمة التعليم لا يمكن أن ينتظر في اليمن، ٢٠٢٣).

بعد معاناته من جائحة كوفيد-١٩، يتعامل اليمن مع ارتفاع حالات فيروس شلل الأطفال. أصيب ٢٢٨ طفلًا بالشلل بسبب فيروس شلل الأطفال في عام ٢٠٢١ في اليمن. في اليمن، كان هناك حوالي ٢٢٠٠٠ حالة إصابة بالحصبة في عام ٢٠٢٢، مع ١٦١ إصابة. تم الإبلاغ عن ٩٤١٨ حالة في عام ٢٠٢٣، وتوفي ٧٧ طفلاً (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية،
العدد ١، ٢٠٢٣).

ويشكل انخفاض معدلات التحصين ضد الأمراض التي يمكن الوقاية منها باللقاحات بين الأطفال وضعا خطيرا جدا بالنسبة لهم للالتحاق بالمدارس. لا تستطيع العديد من عائلات الأطفال تحمل تكاليف الاستشفاء (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية
العدد ٣، ٢٠٢٣). في حين كانت هناك العديد من حملات التطعيم ضد شلل الأطفال والحصبة على مدى العامين الماضيين في المناطق الجنوبية, يتعرض الأطفال في المناطق الشمالية للخطر بشكل خاص بسبب الجمود المستمر بشأن جهود التحصين الإضافية هناك (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية،
العدد ٣، ٢٠٢٣).

عدم المساواة بين الجنسين

ولا تزال المؤسسات الثقافية والدينية ذات التوجه الأبوي هي الخصم الرئيسي لتعليم الإناث. تسعى الحكومة والمنظمات الدولية إلى تغيير عقلية الأسر الحالية لمنع بناتها من متابعة التعليم من خلال إطلاق حملات مختلفة في المناطق الريفية, تعزيز المعايير الاجتماعية التي بنوها (بلوت، ٢٠٢٣). ومع ذلك، فإن تسرب التلميذات من المدارس معرض لخطر زواج الأطفال، بينما تقوم الجماعات المسلحة بتجنيد الأولاد.

الجنس الأكثر تأثراً بالتشرد هو الإناث. تمنع العقبات البيروقراطية النساء من السفر دون صحبة أحد أفراد الأسرة المقربين. وقد خلق هذا تأثيرًا كبيرًا على النساء للوصول إلى التعليم ومتابعته (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية
العدد ١، ٢٠٢٣). أدت الزيادة في متطلبات المحرم ومعظم المناطق التي تسيطرعليها إلى تفاقم الفجوة بين الجنسين في التعليم، مما أدى إلى فجوة واسعة بين الجنسين في محو الأمية والتعليم الأساسي.

يلعب الصراع الاقتصادي في الدولة دورًا في عدم المساواة بين الجنسين أيضًا. الحصول على الحد الأدنى من الدخل يؤثر على الأسر اليمنية’ القوة الشرائية. تؤثر الظروف الاقتصادية الضعيفة على ظروف المرأة’ وتعليم الأطفال. وسيكون له تأثير الدومينو وسيزيد من خطر العنف القائم على نوع الجنس وغيره من الانتهاكات بين النساء والفتيات. سيكون للأطفال وصول أقل إلى المدرسة والمزيد من حالات تفكك الأسرة، وعمل الأطفال، وزواج الأطفال، والاتجار بالأطفال (مكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية، ٢٠٢٢).)

حوافز غير كافية للمعلمين

يتعرض النظام التعليمي في اليمن لخطر الانهيار، مما سيكون له تأثير على كل من الذكور والإناث في سن المدرسة. أدى الصراع الذي استمر لسنوات، وسقوط الاقتصاد، ووباء كوفيد-١٩، إلى تقييد الوصول إلى التعليم. ولا يزال التعلم المنظم يتأثر بعدم كفاية دفع مرتبات المعلمين.

منذ عام ٢٠١٦ ، تلقى غالبية المعلمين في المحافظات (أو ٦١٪ من أعضاء هيئة التدريس) بدلات سيئة. عندما يتقاضى المعلمون رواتبهم، تكون المبالغ قليلة وتدفع ببطء، مما يثبطهم عن العمل ويجبرهم على البحث عن وظائف جانبية لدعم دخلهم (التعليم في اليمن، ٢٠٢٣). أيضًا، يؤدي معظم المعلمين إلى ترك وظائفهم مما يهدد بفقدان ما يقرب من أربعة ملايين طفل لوصولهم إلى التعليم (ناجي، ٢٠٢١). في كل عام، يفر عدد من المعلمين والطلاب من البلاد، وجزء كبير من هؤلاء الأفراد هم الأكثر تأهيلاً.

وهناك مشكلة هامة أخرى هي عدم وجود برامج كافية لتدريب المعلمين، مما يجعل المعلمين المؤهلين يبقون أقل بكثير. الفجوة بين الجنسين بين المعلمين واسعة جدا. المعلمون هم من الذكور بشكل رئيسي بنسبة ٨٠٪، مما يخلق نقصًا في المعلمات.

لقد عانى المعلمون وكذلك الطلاب من هذا النضال المستمر وحتى استغلوه ضد بعضهم البعض. تم تجنيد المعلمين والطلاب للتعاون مع القبائل التي انخرطت في هذا الصراع. فالسلام والتعليم يستعاض عنهما بالصراع والمعتقدات السياسية التي تخدم مصالح الأحزاب والقبائل. ترك الطلاب المدرسة وقرروا التحالف مع القبائل التي ستدفع تكاليف احتياجاتهم الأساسية. ويشمل ذلك المعلمين الذين ذهبوا لسنوات دون تلقي مدفوعات (طاهر وآخرون، ٢٠٢٢).

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8 years of crushing conflict in Yemen. (2023, March 24). UNICEF. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/8-years-crushing-conflict-yemen-leave-more-11-million-children-need-humanitarian

How and why to end the war in Yemen. (2019, May 7). Economist. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/11/30/how-and-why-to-end-the-war-in-yemen?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=18151738051&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclid=CjwKCAjwge2iBh

ICRC. (2022, October 13). Yemen: Conflict leaves millions of children without proper education. In News and Press Release. https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-conflict-leaves-millions-children-without-proper-education-enar

Nagi, A. (2021). Education in Yemen: Turning Pens into Bullets.

OCHA. (2022, April 30). Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2022. https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2022-april-2022

OCHA. (2023, January). Report: Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 1). https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-1-january-2023-enar

OCHA. (2023, February). Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 2). https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-2-february-2023-enar

OCHA. (2023, March). Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 3).

Save the Children International, Save the Children Yemen. (2021, June). Report: Education in Crisis in Yemen.

Taher, A., Khan, Z., Alduais, A., & Muthanna, A. (2022). Intertribal conflict, educational development and education crisis in Yemen: A call for saving education. Review of Education, 10(3)(e3376).

Yemen: Why is the war there getting more violent? (2023, April 14). BBC. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423

Featured image: Yemeni children play in the rubble of buildings destroyed in an air raid, Photo by Biro

Universal Periodic Review of Slovakia

The following report has been drafted by Broken Chalk as a stakeholder contribution to the Slovak Republic.

  • Public schools provide primary and secondary education free of charge. Higher education is also accessible for full-time students, ensuring they do not exceed the standard length of study. Private and church schools may charge for education provided.[i]
  • The state budget allocates funds to schools according to the number of pupils, personnel and economic demands.[ii]
  • Compulsory school attendance lasts ten years between the ages of 6 and 16.[iii]
  • The Slovak language is the language of instruction at most schools.[iv]
  • Decentralisation in the Slovak Republic is based on a dual system of i) self-government by local authorities (regions and municipalities) and ii) “deconcentrated” state administration that refers to the transfer of responsibilities to local units of the central government.[v]
  • As of 2016, Slovakia’s education funding stood at 3.9% of the national GDP, ranking 109th worldwide. In 2019, London think-tank The Legatum Institute ranked Slovakia’s education system 48th out of 167 countries evaluated, and 2019 data from The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) noted an upward trend in education spending ($15.87 per student). However, the OECD also identified a decline in Slovakian students’ math, reading, and science scores.[vi]
  • Higher education institutions are independent institutions that manage the course and focus of education, research, development, economy, and their internal organisation. Law defines the extent of the self-governing scope of higher education institutions.[vii]
  • In the Slovak Republic, 39% of 25-34-year-olds had a tertiary qualification in 2021 compared to 47% on average across OECD countries. In the Slovak Republic, the share of women among general upper secondary graduates is 59% (OECD average 55%). Men make up 55% of all vocational upper secondary graduates, the same as the OECD average.[viii]
  • Although education in Slovakia is relatively well-organised and of high quality, the system has some issues. These issues are demonstrated by a survey, for instance, conducted by researchers at Bratislava’s Comenius University, which revealed that around 50% of the respondents would rather receive their higher education abroad than at home.[ix]
  • Broken Chalk (BC) appreciates all achievements and advancements of the Slovakian educational system and urges the Slovakian government to address issues in its education to guarantee its citizens their human right to education.

By Müge Çınar

Download the PDF.

46th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Slovakia_S

References

[i] OECD. 2016. “School Education in the Slovak Republic.” OECD ILibrary. Paris. February 19, 2016. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264247567-5-en.pdf?expires=1692179646&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B37450E5DE054F38AE5C043EDEC52DDB.

[ii] ibid.

[iii] ibid.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] OECD. 2016. “School Education in the Slovak Republic.” OECD ILibrary. Paris. February 19, 2016. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/9789264247567-5-en.pdf?expires=1692179646&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=B37450E5DE054F38AE5C043EDEC52DDB.

[vi] “8 Facts about Education in Slovakia.” 2020. The Borgen Project. February 21, 2020. https://borgenproject.org/8-facts-about-education-in-slovakia/.

[vii] “Education GPS – Slovak Republic – Overview of the Education System (EAG 2019).” n.d. Gpseducation.oecd.org. https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountry=SVK&treshold=10&topic=EO.

[viii] ibid.

[ix] “8 Facts about Education in Slovakia.” 2020. The Borgen Project. February 21, 2020. https://borgenproject.org/8-facts-about-education-in-slovakia/.

Cover image by Kiwiev on Wikimedia Commons.

Education Challenges in Myanmar: Trying to Reach Education in a Chaotic Environment

Written by Müge Çınar

Education in Myanmar: the background

The first educational transition occurred in 1948, from the colonial education system to a national system. The second educational transition happened after 1962, from a national education to the so-called ‘Burmese Way to Socialism’ education. From 1988 to 2010, the country’s education noticeably deteriorated so that almost 40% of children never attended school, and nearly three-quarters failed to complete even primary education (Lwing, 2007).

In September 2014, the parliament and the military-backed government approved the national education law. However, students protested against the national education law, which is highly centralised and restricts academic freedom. In June 2015, an amendment to the national education law was enacted with minor changes. The teachers, scholars and students had to obey social control. In addition, the government prioritised its political agenda in the education system.

Education Budget and the System in the Country

With education spending 2.91 per cent of the GDP, the lack of an education budget (approximately three times that of the military budget) further hinders growth. As a result, compared to other Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, children in Myanmar do significantly worse on standardised tests. The new country has begun reforms, such as the gradual implementation of free education through high school. Despite some progress, there is still a long way to go (Children of the Mekong).

Children in a classroom. Photo by worak. Wikimedia Commons.

Genocide of Rohingya People by Myanmar and its Effect on Children’s Education

The Rohingyas, a Myanmar ethnic group, have been denied fundamental human rights, including citizenship. They have been subjected to terrible oppression, prejudice, violence, torture, unfair prosecution, murder, and great poverty for decades. Rakhine State’s hostile environment has caused the Rohingyas to evacuate their homes and seek asylum in neighbouring nations (Shohel, 2023). This erupted the children’s fundamental right to education while asylum-seeking and travelling with much trauma.

Many villagers have fled the fighting and their burned homes during the decade-long civil conflict. Many villages seek refuge in the bush, and the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) is growing. Hundreds of villagers lost their homes and left their communities during the recent conflict in Kachin State, northern Myanmar (Lwin, 2019). Thousands of Rohingya men, women, and children were shot and burned in a matter of weeks during the violence against the Rohingya community in northern Rakhine State, western Myanmar; masses of Rohingya women and girls were raped; infant children were killed; men and boys were arbitrarily arrested; several hundred villages were destroyed in arson attacks; and more than 700,000 people were forced to flee to neighbouring countries (Washington Post, 2017).

There are around one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, including 300,000 who entered as a result of previous years’ violence (Washington Post, 2017). More than half of the Rohingya refugees are women and girls, with 60% being minors under 18 (Oxfam, 2018). According to the UNHCR (2018), 97,418 Myanmar refugees live in nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border. 54.4% are under 18 (The Border Consortium (TBC)). This is a question of nearly half of the population how to get proper education in refugee camps. In addition, Malaysia is one of the transit countries for refugees, and Malaysia has thousands of Rohingya refugees that have no legal refugee status by the government.

Over 31,000 refugee children from southeast Myanmar’s conflict-torn Kayah State require immediate financial assistance to continue their education. Despite the continuous violence in Kayah, pupils attend community schools, including makeshift classrooms in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps (The Irrawaddy, 2022).

How Different Are Minorities Getting Education?

Although the name ‘Burma’ is derived from the Bamar people, who constitute two-thirds of the country’s population, according to official government data, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the region, with over 135 ethnic groups. The country’s geographic location has drawn settlers from various backgrounds throughout history. There are over 100 languages spoken, and minority ethnic populations are estimated to make up approximately 40-60% of the total population and occupy half of the land area (Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), 2021).

The Bamar (68%), Chin (2.5%), Kachin (1.5%), Karen (7%), Kayah (1.83%), Mon (2%), Rakhine (4%) and Shan (9%) are the eight ‘official’ groups. The figures are from 2016. The sea gipsies’ of the southern islands, the “long-necked” ladies of Padaung, the Nagas on the Indian boundary, and the tattooed women of Chin State, not to mention the Pa-O, Wa, Kokang, Akha, and Lahu indigenous peoples, are all part of these broad groups. The country’s major religions are Theravada Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Animism.

Teaching minority languages in state schools has been prohibited in the Burmese education system since 1962, and this policy remains in place today (Lwin, 2017); even though Myanmar has an estimated population of 51 million people who speak over 100 languages and dialects, as stated above.

A teacher and some students including novice Buddhist nuns at Aung Myae OO Monastic Education School on Sagaing Hill across the Irrawaddy River from Mandalay. The ‘civilians’ have decorated their faces with thanaka, a skin protector and, among women and girls, a fashion cosmetic made from tree bark that has been used in Myanmar for at least the past two millennia. Photo by Dan Lundberg on Flickr.

The Hardship of Language in Education, Especially Ethnic Language

The language of education is not neutral since it reflects the historically determined ability of one or more groups to elevate their language to such prominence within a state. A curriculum may also contain classes that educate about local history. In certain circumstances, language is the primary divide behind ethnic conflict and civil war (Shohel, 2023). For example, Bormann, Cederman, and Vogt (2017) demonstrate that linguistic cleavages are increasingly prevalent. A centralised education sector often fails to adequately address the grievances arising from rights to identity and language (Dryden-Peterson & Mulimbi, 2016).

Child Soldiers and Child Labour

A civil war necessitates many soldiers, and both sides of the conflict use children to strengthen their forces. Although it is difficult to determine due to a lack of official estimates, tens of thousands of child soldiers are undoubtedly present in Myanmar (Children of the Mekong). These children, many orphans, are frequently enlisted or sold to armies. They are indoctrinated and pushed to battle after they join the military. Solving this problem will necessitate a reduction in ethnic tensions and enhance political stability, both of which appear unattainable.

According to UNICEF, one out of every four children aged 6 to 15 works. There are two reasons for this: schooling is still costly, and lack of finance for the education sector sometimes means that the children receive insufficient education. As a result, many rural residents prefer to send their children to work to earn money (Children of the Mekong).

Gender inequality

The military authority has been the norm rather than the exception in Myanmar for 50 years. For many decades, women were barred from holding leadership positions and were denied equal economic and educational possibilities as men. During these decades, social conventions decided that women and girls should control the household, family, and other caretaking chores while males should be leaders, owing to the country’s military and hyper-masculinity. This period’s patriarchal worldview is exemplified by the military-drafted 2008 constitution, which regularly refers to women as mothers and proclaims that specific vocations “are suitable only for men.” Myanmar was ranked second most discriminating in the 2021 Social Institutions and Gender Index2 out of nine Southeast Asian countries (UN Women & UNDP, 2022).

According to the women who responded to the survey in December 2021, “After the military takeover, all the hopes and aims are gone, and everything has been difficult. The education system is worsening, and the scarcity of jobs is increasing” Kayin resident, 55 years old (UN Women & UNDP, 2022).

Young children attend a school in Myanmar. Photo by ILO / P.Pichaiwongse on Flickr.

Children with Disabilities

According to the Ministry of Population’s 2019 survey, 12.8% of the population has one of the six disabilities: 6.3% have a visual impairment; 2.4% have a hearing impairment; 5.4% have difficulty walking; 4.4% have difficulty remembering/concentrating; 1.9% have difficulty self-care; and 1.6% have difficulty communicating (DoP, 2020, p. 93).

According to the Ministry of Education, students with disabilities attended 14.72% of all regular primary and secondary schools in 2019. In Myanmar, statistics show that education for disabled children is scarce (Tonegawa, 2022).

DoP et al., 2017: 156 estimate that 45.4% of children with impairments aged 5-9 years and 31.4% of children with disabilities aged 10-13 years have never attended school. The enrolment rate of disabled children is low compared to Myanmar’s overall net enrollment rate in formal education, which is 98.5% in formal primary education and 79.2% in formal lower secondary school. In Myanmar, school enrollment for disabled children is low (Tonegawa, 2022). This multi-sectoral review holds that Myanmar’s success in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is largely dependent.

Unqualified Higher Education Teachers and Teachers under Threat

The University scholars are expected to be positioned at the nexus of teacher training and research practice. The scarcity of research-related scholars is a crucial issue for Myanmar, with their minimal studies on their research engagement.

The teachers also, as well as students, are under threat of ongoing conflict. The 2021 coup and the civil war affected teachers’ safety. In addition, eleven though the teacher is threatened by their lives, their income is insufficient to survive.

Conclusion

The second anniversary of Myanmar’s February 2021 coup d’état has just passed, and the country’s terrible state of armed warfare, insurgency, turmoil, and anarchy has only worsened. With the uncertainty surrounding the postponed general elections this year, which most believe will not be free, fair, or genuine, the civil war inside Myanmar is projected to worsen in 2023. There appears to be no end in sight. All of these conditions deteriorate the access to quality education for many children.

References
  • The Border Consortium (TBC). (n.d.). TBC’s Strategic Plan for 2023-2025.
  • Children of the Mekong. (n.d.). Education in Myanmar: challenges created by an unstable political environment. Children of the Mekong. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/education-in-myanmar-challenges-created-by-an-unstable-political-environment/
  • CNN. (n.d.). Myanmar fast facts. CNN. Retrieved September 7, 2018, from. https://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/30/world/asia/myanmar-fast-facts/index.html
  • Government of Mynmar & UNICEF. (2020, December). Myanmar 2019-2020 Education Budget Brief. https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-2019-2020-education-budget-brief-december-2020
  • https://www.hart-uk.org/a-brief-overview-of-the-ethnic-minorities-of-burma/. (2021, February 8). A Brief Overview of the Ethnic Minorities of Burma. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART). Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.hart-uk.org/a-brief-overview-of-the-ethnic-minorities-of-burma/
  • Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART). (2021, February 8). A Brief Overview of the Ethnic Minorities of Burma. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART). Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.hart-uk.org/a-brief-overview-of-the-ethnic-minorities-of-burma/
  • The Irrawaddy. (2022, November 24). Southeast Myanmar’s Refugee Children Need Funding to Stay in School. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/southeast-myanmars-refugee-children-need-funding-to-stay-in-school.html
  • Kyaw, M. T. (n.d.). Factors Influencing Teacher Educators’ Research Engagement in the Reform Process of Teacher Education Institutions in Myanmar. SAGE Open, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211061349
  • Lall, M. (2023). The state of education, pre-reform. In Myanmar’s Education Reforms: A Pathway to Social Justice? UCL Press.
  • Lwin, T. (2017, March 10). Comments on the National Education Strategic Plan (2016–2021) of the Ministry of Education, Myanmar.
  • Lwin, T. (2019, June 13). Global justice, national education and local realities in Myanmar: a civil society perspective. Asia Pacific Education Review, (20), 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-019-09595-z
  • Lwing, T. (2007, July). Education and democracy in Burma: Decentralization and classroom-level educational reform. In Forum: International forum for democratic studies.
  • Myanmar Department of Population. (n.d.). 2019 Inter-censal survey. Department of Population. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.dop.gov.mm/en/publication-category/2019-inter-censal-survey
  • Oxfam. (2018). Bangladesh Rohingya refugee crisis. Oxfam International. Retrieved from. https://www.oxfam.org/en/emergencies/bangladesh-rohingya-refugee-crisis.
  • Shohel, M. (2023, May 3). Lives of the Rohingya children in limbo: Childhood, education, and children’s rights in refugee camps in Bangladesh. PROSPECTS, (53), 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-022-09631-8
  • Tonegawa, Y. (2022, January 15). Contextualization of Inclusive Education: Education for Children with Disabilities in Myanmar. International Journal of Instruction, 15(1), 365-380.
  • UNCHR. (n.d.). United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2018). Refugees in Thailand. https://www.unhcr.org/th/en.
  • Untitled. (n.d.). UNFPA Myanmar. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://myanmar.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/inter-censal_survey_union_report_english.pdf
  • UN Women & UNDP. (n.d.). Regressing Gender Equality in Myanmar: Women living under the pandemic and military rule. Report.
  • UN Women & UNDP. (2022, March 8). Regressing Gender Equality in Myanmar: Women living under the Pandemic and Military rule – Myanmar. ReliefWeb. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/regressing-gender-equality-myanmar-women-living-under-pandemic-and-military-rule
  • Washington Post. (2017, October 25). Bangladesh is now home to almost 1 million Rohingya refugees. Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/10/25/bangladesh-is-now-home-to-almost-1-million-rohingya-refugees/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.24ca7b467a0e.

Universal Periodic Review of Malaysia

  • Broken Chalk is a non-profit NGO with one main goal to protect human rights in education. The organisation investigates and reports education rights violations worldwide while advocating and supporting human-rights-focused educational development. By submitting this report, Broken Chalk aims to contribute to the 45th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malaysia with a focus on the education sector, encouraging the country to continue its improvement efforts and providing further insight into how to overcome current challenges and deficiencies regarding human rights in education.
  • This culturally diverse country has become an upper-middle-income country for the last two decades. Since 2010, it has grown at a 5.4% annual rate and was predicted to move from an upper middle-income economy to a high-income economy by 2024 [1]. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has had a substantial negative impact on Malaysia, mostly on vulnerable households. Following the revision of the official poverty line in July 2020, 5.6% of Malaysian households live in absolute poverty. The pandemic worsened issues affecting adolescents, children, and women in many ways. [2].

By Müge Çınar

Download the PDF.

45th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Malaysia_1

References

[1] World Bank. (2022, 11 29). Overview: The World Bank in Malaysia. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/malaysia/overview#1
[2] UNICEF. (2022, December 1). Institutionalizing Social And Behavioural Change In Malaysia. from https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/reports/institutionalizing-social-and-behavioural-change-malaysia

Cover image by Pete Unseth.

Universal Periodic Review of Belize

  • Broken Chalk is a non-profit NGO with one main goal to protect human rights in the world of education. The organization investigates and reports education rights violations worldwide while advocating and supporting human-rights-focused educational development. By submitting this report, Broken Chalk aims to contribute to the 45th Session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Belize with a focus on the education sector, encouraging the country to continue its improvement efforts and providing further insight into how to overcome current challenges and deficiencies regarding human rights in education.
  • Belize’s average Human Development Index value throughout that time period was 0.668 points, with a low of 0.613 points in 1990 and a high of 0.722 points in 2016. The most recent value is 0.683 points from 2021. [1] The Index, which includes factors such as life expectancy, education, and per capita income, placed Belize in the high human development category, with a ranking of 103 out of 189 countries and territories. [2]
  • Belize’s population is projected to be around 1400,000 people, with a slightly higher proportion of rural (55%) than urban (45%) residents and an equal proportion of males and females. The majority of the population, 65.8%, is between the ages of 15 and 64, with another 29.2% between the ages of 0 and 14, and those 65 and above accounting for the remaining 5%. [3]
  • Mestizos/Hispanics make up 47.9% of Belize’s population and the majority of residents in the Corozal, Orange Walk, Cayo, and Stann Creek districts, according to the country’s 2010 Census. Creoles are the second largest ethnic group, accounting for 25.9% of the population in the Belize District. The Maya (Ketchi, Mopan, and Yucatec) make up 11.3% of the population and are the majority group in the Toledo District, while Garifunas, East Indians, and Mennonites make up 6.1%, 3.9%, and 3.6% of the overall population, respectively. [3]
  • Despite its diversity, Belize has maintained a stable parliamentary democracy without serious ethnic or religious conflict and there has been numerous and peaceful transitions of power between the country’s two major political parties since its independence from Great Britain in 1981. [3]
by Müge Çınar
 
Download PDF
UN-UPR_45th_Belize_-

Cover image by James Willamor on Flickr.


References
[1] Global Economy https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Belize/human_development/#:~:text=Human%20Development %20Index%20(0%20%2D%201)&text=For%20that%20indicato %2C%20we%20provide,from%202021 %20is%200.683%20points.
[2] IOM https://publications.iom.int/books/belize-needs-assessment-migration-governance
[3] The Belize Education Sector Plan 2021-2025 https://www.moecst.gov.bz/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/The-Belize-Education-Sector-Plan-2021-2025_MoECST.pdf

Education Challenges in Malaysia: Low Quality of Education in a Rising Economy

Written by Müge Çınar

The Country Profile 

Malaysia, which gained independence in 1957 from British rule, has successfully transitioned its economy from an agriculture-based economy to robust manufacturing and service sectors. This economic diversification pushed the country to become a leading exporter of electrical appliance parts and components (World Bank, 2022). 

During the last two decades, this culturally diverse country has become an upper-middle-income country. The growth in poverty reduction has been made, with income poverty falling from 50 percent in the 1970s to 0.4 percent in 2016 (UNICEF, 2022). Since 2010, it has grown at a 5.4 percent annual rate, and it is predicted to move from an upper middle-income economy to a high-income economy by 2024 (World Bank, 2022).

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge negative impact on Malaysia, mostly on vulnerable households. Following the revision of the official poverty line in July 2020, 5.6% of Malaysian households now live in absolute poverty (UNICEF, 2022). The pandemic caused issues that directly affected adolescents, children, and women in many ways. 

Group of school children. Photo by Kamusal Alan.

Education System in Malaysia

According to the national education system, six-year education is required to start after children reach the age of six. Public schools offer 11 years of free primary and secondary education. Early childhood education (ECE) is not mandatory in Malaysia; however, preschool is accessible to children aged 4 and up. According to the Ministry of Education’s 2017 Annual Report, national preschool enrollment for children aged 4 and up was 84.3 percent (Ministry of Education of Malaysia, 2018).

Enrollment in primary and secondary education in Malaysia is generally high, with enrollment increasing at every grade level since 2013.  Secondary enrollment is lower than primary enrollment, and enrollment decreases by 10 percent between the lower and upper secondary levels. A variety of governmental, private, international, and religious institutions provide higher education (Ministry of Education of Malaysia, 2018). 

The Education 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 allocates at least 4 percent of GDP and 15 percent of national expenditure on public services to education (UNESCO, 2022). Government education spending accounted for 4.77 percent of GDP and 21 percent of total government spending in 2017. According to recent data, Malaysia has been reducing its education expenditure from 2011 by 5.8 percent to 2020 by 3.9 percent (World Bank Data, 2023). This is the highest of any ASEAN country. Education spending is also the Malaysian government’s largest single expenditure. 

Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025 outlines five aims that motivate Malaysia’s educational system: access, quality, fairness, unity, and efficiency. To realize the objective of Education for All, full access to education and the closing of achievement disparities for equity must be met. The Ministry is committed to increasing primary school enrollment and decreasing dropout rates in distant areas (Abu Bakar, 2022). 

To achieve these two educational goals of “access” and “equity”, the government has provided additional support and programs over the years, including a financial assistance program, a program for Special Education Needs, and a special program for the Orang Asli communities. The Ministry of Education (MOE) has also incorporated ICT in the classroom to improve teaching and learning. Despite government improvements, many challenges impede the success of Malaysian education. 

Main Problems in Education in Malaysia

Quality of Education

Education quality is a huge concern, with almost 60 percent of 15-year-old Malaysian students failing to meet minimum competence standards (Anderson & Barrett, 2020). Although improvements have been made during the last few years, Malaysian students are still under performing compared to international averages. 

In the most recent PISA testing (2018), 54 percent of Malaysian students achieved minimum proficiency in reading, 59 percent in math, and 63 percent in science, compared to the OECD average of 77 percent (reading), 76 percent (math), and 78 percent (science) (OECD, 2019). This shows that the high amount of government spending on education may not be allocated to factors that have the biggest impact on learning outcomes.

Poor teacher quality is another barrier to quality and learning outcomes: 93 percent of those applying for a Bachelor of Education and 70 percent of those offered a place in the program did not have the necessary qualifications, and only 3 percent of offers were made to applicants considered high performers (UNICEF Malaysia, 2019). And also, a lack of autonomy in schools is a challenge. Researchers found that rigidity in curriculum and delivery hampered quality learning, and the high degree of centralization in the education system was also found to have hampered the efficient production and distribution of education services (Anderson & Barrett, 2020).

As mentioned before, the government’s spending on education is very high compared to the region. However, the amount of money granted to each school is determined by the number of students enrolled in the current school year, not by the school’s needs or the socioeconomic status of the students (Abu Bakar, 2022). This causes schools with fewer students in rural areas to get less financial support. Therefore, the discrimination against rural areas students are made to reach resources to get a better education.

Compared to students in larger cities, most parents in rural areas have lower incomes. They are unable to give their children the facilities and resources they require for academic success. The gap in quality education is realized between urban and rural areas of the country. As a result, the students’ achievements in urban areas are higher. This issue creates a gap in establishing educational equity between urban and rural schools.

Another weak point that divides rural and urban education quality is the lack of internet connectivity to support e-learning. Inadequate connectivity and device limits have been identified as significant problems in adopting teaching and learning in rural areas.

The most criticized issue when it comes to the quality of education in the country is the syllabus. It is discussed among educators that the learning syllabus for primary and secondary schools is too high-level and illogical for students. The high number of students per classroom, the number of subjects, and heavy school bags are threats to the health of the children. Heavy subjects in the study plan create a burden rather than joy for learning students and drop their success rates (The Malaysian Reserve, 2022).

Young woman graduating. Photo by PickPik.
Access to Education and Gender Gap

Most children get 11 years of education in Malaysia; however, there is an important number of out-of-school children. Secondary school students are at more risk of dropping out than younger children in primary school. According to the Ministry of Education, the following factors contribute to children dropping out: lack of parental participation; poverty; low motivation; and low academic proficiency (Ministry of Education of Malaysia, 2018). 

The most vulnerable ones to access education are children with disabilities and refugee children. 1 in 3 disabled children is out of school. Children with special education needs (SEN) are defined as children with visual, hearing, speech, and physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or any combination of disabilities and difficulties under the Education (Special Education) Regulations 2013, which apply to government and government-aided schools (Yan-Li & Sofian, 2018). Notably, children with mental health or behavioral difficulties do not appear to be included in this classification. 

Lack of access to education and dropout differ by gender at every level of education. The gender gap is even more prominent in secondary school, where 7.5 percent of male students are at risk of dropping out compared to 3.7 percent of female students (Rosati, 2022). Male students are under pressure to drop out, likely for different reasons. Poor upper-secondary school-aged boys are sometimes pressured to drop out and enter the labor force to support their family’s finances. 

The gross enrollment rate at secondary school was 88.4 percent for girls and 84.1 percent for boys in 2017. The participation in higher education of boys is also lower than that of girls. The enrollment of females and males in tertiary education was 45.5 percent and 38.7 percent, respectively (Anderson & Barrett, 2020). When females enter the labor force, any advantage they have regarding school access and learning results is lost. 

In the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), Malaysian girls scored higher in math than boys by seven score points, which is a higher difference than the OECD average. Among the high-scored students, two in five boys reported expecting to be an engineer or a science professional, while one in seven girls reported expecting the same career (OECD, 2019). It is realized that even though girls are good at math and science in the national exams, gender roles and social norms make girls fall behind when it comes to choosing a profession. 

Despite the government’s focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, female students do not choose these subjects during university. Gender streaming in university education has been linked to teaching and learning materials used in secondary schools that do not empower girls to study male topics. The social norms tend to overrepresent females as teachers or maids regarding careers (Asadullah, 2020).

Child marriage is another obstacle for women to continue their education. While a person is recognized as a child until the age of 18 according to universal treaties, marriage at the age of 16 to 18 is legal with a license in Malaysia. In this case, girls will most likely drop out of school. The Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development (MWFCD) has developed a National Strategy and Action Plan to End Child Marriage in 2019, although state-level opposition to a complete prohibition persists. Although Malaysia has implemented several measures to assist comprehensive sex education (CSE), their impact has been restricted by insufficient teacher training and the few hours dedicated to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) within the school curriculum (UNICEF, 2019).

Disadvantages of Refugee Children

Refugee children are denied access to the formal education system; therefore, they access education via an informal parallel system of community-based learning centers. The main reason behind this is that all refugees are considered illegal in the country. The lack of legal work for refugees in the country prevents refugee families from earning sufficient income to provide for their children’s basic needs. Moreover, poverty and desperation lead families to allow their children to go out and earn income. Most of the refugee children are forced to beg on the streets (UNHCR, 2022). If there had been a chance for refugees to work legally and support their families adequately, refugee children would have attended school. 

According to the data given by UNCR; 44 percent of the refugee children aged 6 to 13 years enrolled in primary school, while this rate dropped drastically in secondary school to 16 percent. Of the 23,823 children that are of school-going age, only 30 percent are enrolled in community learning centers. Preprimary school attendance at the age of 3 to 5 is also only 14 percent. Learning centers are limited and not easily reachable by refugee children. In West Malaysia, there are only 133 learning centers for refugees (UNHCR, 2023).

The learning centers are mostly supported by UNCHR and non-governmental organizations. A most important contribution to non-formal education is made by Sekolah Komuniti Rohingya (SKR) and the United Arakan Institute Malaysia (UAIM) (Palik, 2020). These two community-based organizations are playing an important role for refugee children. Despite all these efforts, non-formal education is not valid for joining the labor force.

Malaysia is an important transit country for refugees. There are nearly 178,990 refugees and asylum seekers registered with UNCHR. 154,080 of them are from Myanmar, including 101,010 Rohingya. This shows the ethnic diversity of refugees coming from Myanmar to Malaysia. Rohingya refugees have been seeking to arrive in the country since the late 1990s. Unfortunately, there are neither refugee camps nor legal recognition of refugee status in Malaysia. Also, a total of 46,000 children refugees under the age of 18 have limited protection (Palik, 2020). 

Birthright citizenship is also not provided, which makes refugee children more vulnerable to having a formal education and joining the workforce in their adult lives. Even if getting a formal education is impossible, Rohingya refugees tend to send their female children to non-formal education centers due to their cultural and religious beliefs. Most parents would rather expect girls to accomplish housework at home than attend mixed education with boys.

Myanmar is forcing people to flee, and people in danger are seeking safety in other countries. Malaysia’s deportation of Myanmar asylum-seekers continues, and the remaining refugees still need status to access basic human services. The principle of non-refoulment is very important in international law and is binding on all states. 

At the same time, Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. Therefore, the country does not have a legal or administrative framework for managing refugees and has not set any mechanisms to protect and recognize asylum seekers and refugees in its territory.

Group of SMKBBA students and principal En Abdul Gaffar with Malaysian First Astronaut Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and Kapten Dr Faiz Khaleed. Photo by Wilson Liew.
Covid-19 Challenge

Due to the pandemic, education was disrupted, and the schools suffered from ongoing closings and reopenings. According to a UNICEF/UNFPA study of low-income urban families, 21% of children did not engage in any online learning during the Movement Control Period, while up to 45% failed to learn effectively due to limited access to electronic devices (UNICEF, 2020).  Migrant children and children with disabilities were even less likely to have engaged in effective remote learning, and that put a significant risk of school dropouts and rising educational disparities among different groups. 

Conclusion

Although Malaysia is a country with a growing economy, there are many aspects of the education sector that need improvement. The main problem in education in the country is that refugee children do not have the right to get a formal education. Without getting a formal education, refugee youngsters do not have a chance to enter the workforce. Also, the quality of education in the country has to be improved. The teacher has to be encouraged to get a higher and better education to be a better educator. The budget must be reallocated to eliminate the gap between urban and rural areas for equal education rights to be achieved. Despite the incentives made by the government in science, girls should be encouraged to enroll in engineering and science programs at university, since girls are better at math on exams. Social norms that put girls behind should be revised to build gender equality and a more qualified workforce for the future. Gender equality for boys is also assured by the government through the new campaigns. In this way, the school dropout rate for boys may be eliminated and girls’ success can be put forward. The growing economy of Malaysia mostly depends on its better-educated students entering the workforce.

References

Abu Bakar, A. Y. (2022). The Equal And Equitable Provision Of Primary School Education In Malaysia: Issues And Challenges. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(7), 2476-2485. https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/11800/7639

Anderson, K., & Barrett, J. (2020, October 8). Situation Analysis of Adolescents in Malaysia. UNICEF. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/media/1521/file/Situation%20Analysis%20of%20Adolescents%20in%20Malaysia.pdf

Asadullah, M. N. (2020, January). The Changing Status of Women in Malaysian Society.

The Malaysian Reserve. (2022, October 31). The education system needs urgent policy reform. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://themalaysianreserve.com/2022/10/31/education-system-needs-urgent-policy-reform/

Ministry of Education of Malaysia. (2018). 2017 Annual Report: Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. https://www.padu.edu.my/annual_report/2017/

OECD. (2019, December 3). Results from PISA 2018: Malaysia (2019). Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.oecd.org/pisa/publications/PISA2018_CN_MYS.pdf

Palik, J. (2020). Education for Rohingya Refugee Children in Malaysia – Peace Research Institute Oslo. PRIO Policy Brief. https://www.prio.org/publications/12325

Rosati, F. C. (2022). Can cash transfers reduce child labour? ZA World of Labor.

UNESCO. (2022). Education financing in Asia-Pacific. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000383745

UNHCR. (2022, January 7). UNHCR responds to child begging cases allegedly involving refugee children. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/my/news/unhcr-responds-child-begging-cases-allegedly-involving-refugee-children

UNHCR. (2023). Education in Malaysia. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/my/education-malaysia

UNICEF. (2019). Country Office Annual Report 2019 Malaysia. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/media/90286/file/Malaysia-2019-COAR.pdf

UNICEF. (2020). Country Office Annual Report 2020: Malaysia.

UNICEF. (2022, December 1). Institutionalizing Social And Behavioural Change In Malaysia. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/malaysia/reports/institutionalizing-social-and-behavioural-change-malaysia

UNICEF Malaysia. (2019, September). U-Report Poll on “‘Views of Youth For A Better Malaysia”.

World Bank. (2022, 11 29). Overview: The World Bank in Malaysia. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/malaysia/overview#1

World Bank Data. (2023). Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) – Malaysia-Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS?locations=MY

Yan-Li, S., & Sofian, S. (2018). A Preliminary Study on Leading Special Education in National Schools in Malaysia: Special Education Integrated Programme (SEI P). In The 5th National and 3rd International Conference on Education (NICE), 154-161.

            (Country Office Annual Report 2022 Malaysia – 2700, 2023)

Estimated 773 million Illiterate Adults Globally: Very Worrying Part of the Education Challenges

Written by Müge Çınar

The Education Monitoring Report 2022, released by UNESCO, estimates new data that shows that among adults, 83% of women and 90% of men are literate, with a 7% gender gap. As a result, a total of 771 million adults around the world lack basic literacy skills (Ahmed & Khawar, 2022).  According to UNESCO’s Institute of Statistics, 2023 data shows there are nearly 773 illiterate adults (Literacy | UNESCO UIS, 2023). Current literacy data are often gathered by population censuses or household surveys in which the respondent or head of the household declares whether they can read and write a brief, simple statement about one’s everyday life in any written language.

There has been an increase in school attendance since education was adopted as a human right. When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948, with a world population of 2.4 billion, 48% of the population had access to school (UNESCO, 2021). When the global population hit 8 billion in 2020, school enrollment had increased to nearly 90% (Statista, 2022).

These rates indicate that primary school attendance is increasing around the world. While 773 million people are illiterate, other parts of the world the education is more digitalized and going through higher education researchers. This distinction among illiteracy and the higher level education is very upsetting. There must more support in the regions and communities who are not even basic requirements of education.

In today’s world, education is not limited to a single life period but rather a never-ending process in every age. Education is crucial to catching up with the world challenges to achieve economic prosperity, individual development, and social cohesion. Everyone must be able to access educational opportunities throughout the entirety of their lifetime.

The interconnected global challenges require everyone, regardless of age, to pursue lifelong learning. Most importantly, adult education has a great impact on the new generations and the global development that young talent could bring. To raise children with a higher awareness of world problems and greater ability to find solutions to the new world challenges, we need educated adults.

In November 2021, UNESCO’s model Futures of Education report, “Reimagining Our Futures Together: A New Social Contract for Education” was published. The right to lifelong learning was also reinforced at the “Transforming Education Summit” in September 2022, following the UN Secretary-General’s appeal for a formal acknowledgement of a universal entitlement to lifelong learning and reskilling in his report “Our Common Agenda” (UN, 2022). 

UNESCO’s recommendations and aims are explained as follows:

 “The aim of adult learning and education is to equip people with the necessary capabilities to exercise and realize their rights and take control of their destinies. It promotes personal and professional development, thereby supporting more active engagement by adults with their societies, communities, and environments. It fosters sustainable and inclusive economic growth and decent work prospects for individuals. It is, therefore, a crucial tool in alleviating poverty, improving health and well-being, and contributing to sustainable learning societies.” (UNESCO, Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, 2022).

The current situation of adult education today

Gender disparities in enrollment and attendance have declined during the last two decades. The gender gap in adult literacy is the widest in Central and Southern Asia, followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (Ahmed & Khawar, 2022). According to UNESCO’s latest Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, there has also been progress, notably in the participation of women, who need adult education the most.

However, the report shows other disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, such as Indigenous learners, rural populations, migrants, older citizens, people with disabilities, or prisoners, all of whom are deprived of expected literacy levels. Around 60% of countries reported no improvement in the educational involvement of people with disabilities, migrants, or convicts. Rural population involvement has decreased in 24% of the surveyed countries. In addition, the involvement of older people has fallen in 24% of the 159 nations surveyed (UNESCO, 2022).

Coping Strategies: how to Increase Adult Literacy?

UNESCO’s latest Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education provides some hints on how to increase adult literacy. There are several tools and solutions that may be realized. Firstly, spreading awareness among individuals about the most vulnerable groups who are mostly excluded from adult education is a way to mitigate the lack of adult literacy. Migrants, indigenous people, older citizens, and people with disabilities are the most vulnerable. Awareness, providing funds by NGOs and IGOs is a very powerful tool for helping vulnerable groups. In addition, making campaigns could be very beneficial.

Secondly, the solutions lie on government action in terms of monetary policy. Countries must increase their investment in adult learning and education and spend a minimum of 6% of the GDP on education. Only 22 of the 146 countries spend 4% or more of their public education budget on adult learning and education, while 28 spend less than 0.4% (UNESCO, Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education, 2022).

Thirdly, cooperation between civil society, the private sector, and government bodies in accordance with education at all levels is essential. In recent years, improvement and progress have been made in many countries thanks to partnerships between different actors to reach adults who lack learning in the last years.

Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elderly_Lao_woman_reading.jpg

Cover Photo : https://www.theweek.in/news/health/2023/01/27/people-with-poor-literacy-face-more-mental-health-problems.html

Written by Müge Çınar

As a student at the University of Florence, pursuing a Master’s degree in International Relations and European Student in Italy, I am an enthusiast of human rights especially in supporting education rights that would create a better world for everyone. I apply my academic knowledge and skills to practical research work in the field of human rights.

References

Ahmed, A., & Khawar, U. (2022, April 28). 771m adults lacked basic literacy skills: Unesco – World – DAWN.COM. Dawn., from https://www.dawn.com/news/1687178

Education worldwide – statistics & facts. (2022, October 11). Statista, from https://www.statista.com/topics/7785/education-worldwide/#topicOverview

Fifth Global Report on Adult Learning and Education. (2022, June 15). UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning. from https://www.uil.unesco.org/en/grale5

Literacy | UNESCO UIS. (n.d.). UNESCO Institute for Statistics. from https://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/literacy

Reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education. (2021). UNESCO Digital Library, from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000379707.locale=en

The right to lifelong learning: Why adult education matters. (2022, June 15). UNESCO.org, 2023, from https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/right-lifelong-learning-why-adult-education-matters

Transforming Education Summit | United Nations. (2022). the United Nations, from https://www.un.org/en/transforming-education-summit

Arbitrary Arrests in Afghanistan: Justice for Education Activist Matiullah Wesa

Written by Müge Çınar

The Arbitrary Arrest of Education Activist Matiullah Wesa

On 27 March 2023, human rights defender Matiullah Wesa was arbitrarily arrested after praying at a local mosque. When Matiullah Wesa stepped out from the mosque, he encountered gunmen with two vehicles who wanted to arrest him. Although Wesa asked for the IDs of the men, they showed their weapons and took Wesa away. Now, Wesa’s family is of great concern for his health and safety. Matiullah Wesa, aged 30, had been threatened before by the Taliban. Despite the threats to his safety, He didn’t leave Afghanistan and stayed to advocate boys’ and girls’ education rights.[1]

On the 27th of March, the UN Special Rapporteur stated that the human rights defender’s safety is the most important and his legal rights have to be respected. On the 28th of March, the UN Mission of Afghanistan (UNAMA) requested the reason behind the arrest of Matiullah Wesa and his location must be announced immediately.[2] Also, the demand for legal representation and contact with the family of Wesa has been expressed by UNAMA. The UN, Amnesty International and other human rights organizations call for urgent action for justice.

On March 29, a Taliban spokesman confirmed his arrest, citing “illegal activities” as the reason for Wesa’s arrest. Wesa’s family has been prohibited from seeing him, and there is no way to challenge the truth of the accusations made against him.  After the arrest, the Taliban entered his house; and took phones, documents, and computers. The brothers of Matiullah were briefly held and then freed after receiving a warning.[3]

Matiullah Wesa campaigning for education in Afghanistan. Photo from Matiullah Wesa.

Matiullah Wesa’s Mission on Promoting Education Rights via PenPath

Matiullah Wesa is known as the most prominent education activist in Afghanistan with his campaigns via the organization PenPath. He established the education organization PenPath with his brothers in 2009.[4] His aim has been to improve and promote education access in all areas of Afghanistan. During his 14-year-old journey of education activism, he traveled to remote and rural parts of the country that were damaged by war and collaborated with the tribal leaders to open schools and libraries to educate children in need. He has been also bringing PanPath’s mobile schools and libraries and most importantly campaigning for women’s education. More than 100 schools have been reopened by Pen Path; and 110,000 kids, 66,000 of whom are girls, have been able to access educational facilities and resources.[5] Is Matiullah being punished for this?

He developed the PenPath network, which now has more than 3,000 volunteers around the nation.[6] They support local classroom setup, teacher recruitment, and supply distribution. He has continued to support girls’ education in his campaigns despite the ban on girls enrolling in secondary schools. He also launched a door to door campaign against the ban on girls’ education.

Wesa has long been an advocate for women’s education in Afghanistan, particularly in rural regions, and his Twitter feed is full of tweets urging for the reopening of schools to women and girls. His last tweet was  “Men, women, elderly, young, everyone from every corner of the country is asking for the Islamic rights to education for their daughters,” before his arrest.[7] He was also planning to make a speech at a meeting about girls’ education prior to the situation. The Taliban have made unclear statements claiming Wesa’s activities as “suspicious” concerning his arrest. Although Wesa was not politically engaged, the Taliban’s exploitation of his public image is for their political gain.[8]

Matiullah Wesa’s detention demonstrates the de facto government’s effort to repress human rights advocates and those who speak up for female education rights. Hours before his detention, the human rights advocate was active on Twitter, highlighting the unavoidable and lasting effects of the closure of schools and the prohibition on girls’ education. It is a great reminder to us that consistent action and solidarity of the International community are needed to prevent women from losing their rights in Afghanistan.

Many people have expressed their outrage on social media over Matiullah Wesa’s arrest and called for his release. Wesa has been exercising his right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. According to international human rights law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a state party, this arrest clearly violates the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The Exploitation of the Right to Education of Women, Minorities and Conflict-Victims in Afghanistan

Following the US-led invasion that overthrew the previous government in 2001, the Taliban came into power in 2021. With the withdrawal of the US’s remaining troops as decided in a 2020 peace agreement with the Taliban, the rule of law in Afghanistan has been changed drastically. The Taliban rule has brought barriers to the human rights of women and minorities, imposing a harsh interpretation of Islamic law.[9]

Since the Taliban came into power in August 2021, the women’s and girls’ right to education, work and free movement has been violated. This situation paved the way for the girls to be subject to discrimination, domestic violence and child marriages. The Taliban announced on March 21, 2022, that all schools would reopen on March 23, but on that day they once more closed secondary schools for girls. The situation has not changed after 1 year in 2023, more than 3 million girls have been denied secondary education.[10]

His active campaigns across Afghanistan with his organization Pen Path turned him into a target for the Taliban. Photo by Matiullah Wesa.

In November 2022, three women rights activists – Zarifa Yaqoobi, Farhat Popalzai and Humaira Yusuf –  were arbitrarily arrested by the Taliban.[11] In December 2022, the Taliban prohibited women from attending universities “until further notice” and instructed all national and international NGOs to terminate the employment of all women on staff “until further notice”.

The Ministry of Higher Education pointed out that the problem derives from Immorality including the presence of female students in dorms, traveling from the provinces without a mahram, failure to observe the hijab wearing and the presence of mixed classes. Banning women from higher education, they were instructed to enroll in public universities near their homes while they are prohibited to study law, commerce, journalism, engineering, agriculture and veterinary medicine.[12] According to the Taliban, closures are temporary, yet authorities blame logistics rather than ideological barriers.

Not only women are deprived of their main right to have an education but religious and ethnic minorities have been suffering from a lack of education and several attacks on educational facilities. According to the UN report on Afghanistan by Richard Bennett, Hazara Community was targeted by 16 attacks, including three against educational institutions. And, Attack on the Kaaj Educational Center on September 30, 2022, left 114 people injured and 54 people dead.[13]

Conflict-related education rights abuses are another important issue to be addressed in Afghanistan. The UN Special Reporter also examined reports that show a huge increase in the recruitment and use of children as soldiers during the past years. Additionally, the rapid rise in attacks against schools, students and educational personnel, nearly eight times per year, has been reported between January and September 2022.[14] The children do not feel safe about their future by not getting proper education and their life by being in the ongoing conflict.

Other Targeted Activists by the Taliban

The Wesa brothers are the most recent arbitrary arrest targeted at society activists and protesters who have spoken out against the closure of education rights for girls and women. The report released in February by UNAMA shows 28 civil society actors and human rights defenders got arbitrarily arrested and 10 journalists and media workers were also arrested to be seen as a threat in the past three months.[15]

No society is able to reach its potential to be developed without activists and human rights defenders to bring consciousness to the people. The historical, geopolitical and religious aspects always play a role in the faith of a nation but civil society could also make it possible for authorities to see their mistake to elevate their people. In the case of this situation in Afghanistan, there must be a double effort by the international community to regain women’s essential human rights in the country.


[1] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/mar/28/founder-afghan-girls-school-project-matiullah-wesa-pen-path-arrested-in-kabul

[2] https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/human-rights-defender-matiullah-wesa-arrested-taliban-kabul

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65095663

[4] https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/human-rights-defender-matiullah-wesa-arrested-taliban-kabul

[5] https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/interviews/5730-afghanistan-education-is-our-basic-right-it-s-an-islamic-right-it-s-a-human-right

[6] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65095663

[7] https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/29/asia/afghanistan-education-activist-arrest-taliban-intl-hnk/index.html

[8] https://thediplomat.com/2023/04/a-beacon-of-education-has-vanished-in-taliban-controlled-afghanistan/

[9] https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan

[10] https://www.savethechildren.net/news/afghanistan-eighteen-months-after-ban-classroom-doors-must-open-secondary-school-girls#:~:text=More%20than%203%20million%20girls,schools%20return%20on%20March%2021.

[11] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/11/afghanistan-women-human-rights-defenders-arrested-by-the-taliban-must-be-immediately-released/

[12] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63219895

[13] UN, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, 9 February 2023 https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5284-situation-human-rights-afghanistan-report-special-rapporteur

[14] UN, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, 9 February 2023

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5284-situation-human-rights-afghanistan-report-special-rapporteur

[15] UN General Assembly Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 27 February 2023

https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/a77772-s2023151sg_report_on_afghanistan.pdf

References

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/11/afghanistan-women-human-rights-defenders-arrested-by-the-taliban-must-be-immediately-released/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65095663

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/taliban-afghanistan

https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/interviews/5730-afghanistan-education-is-our-basic-right-it-s-an-islamic-right-it-s-a-human-right

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/29/asia/afghanistan-education-activist-arrest-taliban-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/human-rights-defender-matiullah-wesa-arrested-taliban-kabul

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/mar/28/founder-afghan-girls-school-project-matiullah-wesa-pen-path-arrested-in-kabul

https://thediplomat.com/2023/04/a-beacon-of-education-has-vanished-in-taliban-controlled-afghanistan/

https://www.savethechildren.net/news/afghanistan-eighteen-months-after-ban-classroom-doors-must-open-secondary-school-girls#:~:text=More%20than%203%20million%20girls,schools%20return%20on%20March%2021.

UN, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, 9 February 2023 https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ahrc5284-situation-human-rights-afghanistan-report-special-rapporteur

UN General Assembly Security Council, The situation in Afghanistan and its implications for international peace and security, 27 February 2023 https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/a77772-s2023151sg_report_on_afghanistan.pdf

Educational Challenges in Yemen: How the Conflict Puts Education at Risk?

Written by Müge Çınar

What has been happening in Yemen since 2015?

Yemen has ancient roots at the Middle East, Asia, and Africa crossroads, and the Republic of Yemen is a relatively new established state. It was created in 1990 following the unification of communist South Yemen with North Yemen. 

The wave of protests in Yemen in 2011 was affected by the Arab Spring, Yemen has been suffering civil wars, jihadist violence, tribalism, and extreme poverty since then.

Furthermore, the suffering brought on by the current war since 2015 between a coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, a Shia militia supported by Iran (World Bank, 2019). The Saudi-led coalition was provided logistical and intelligence support from the US, UK, and France. According to the UN, both sides in the war have committed war crimes. However, both sides refused the allegations (World Bank, 2023).

Long before the current crisis began, the politicization of education in Yemen was an issue. To begin with, neither a license nor any type of supervision was required for religious schools, which predate government-run public schools and higher education institutions (Nagi, 2021). Yet, the conflict exacerbated the collapse of education in the country which was already weak in its educational system.

In general, the North and the South each have their independent educational system (Taher et al., 2022). Each of the parties engaged prioritizes military development while ignoring every aspect of progress, such as education. To serve their own ideological and political objectives, each of these systems is making considerable changes to education, yet the quality of education is declining in both places. Children are unable to attend schools due to conflict, displacement, the spreading of diseases, lack of infrastructure, and gender discrimination.

A group of children, displaced by fighting in the Yemeni city of Hodediah, participate in catch-up classes in the Rabat camp near the Yemeni city of Aden. Photo by Peter Biro

Conflict-related Education Difficulties

Attacks against schoolchildren, teachers, and educational infrastructure, since the conflict started, have affected the educational system and millions of children’s access to learning opportunities. Yemen is experiencing a serious education crisis, which will have devastating long-term effects on children (Education in Yemen,  UNICEF, 2023).

Around 11 million Yemeni children require humanitarian aid, and more than 2.4 million school-age boys and girls are not attending school (UNICEF, 2023). Many families are unable to bring their children to school because of the cost of food and other school-related expenses (Battling Hunger and Ensuring Yemeni Children Can Get Back to School, 2023).

According to UNICEF statistics, more than two million children are not enrolled in school, and many millions require assistance to enrol, and more than 20% of all primary and secondary schools are closed (ICRC, 2022). Students and teachers have been killed or injured on their way to school. Numerous families are no longer sending their children to school, especially girls, due to the danger and financial effects of the conflict. The psychological effects of violence mitigate the educational performance of the children since many children have only ever known life in conflict. 

At least one out of every four educational facilities has been destroyed, damaged, or put to other uses over the past eight years. 58% of these schools are damaged by conflict and 30% are used as quarantine centres or occupied by armed groups (Save the Children International, Save the Children Yemen, 2021).

Under international humanitarian law, war parties are required to take all necessary precautions to safeguard civilians and civilian infrastructure. Long-lasting harm results from violence against students, educators, and institutions of higher learning. It also makes the education system harder to recover after the conflict.

Displacement Problem

Ongoing conflict forces people to move to other areas of the country. Displaced people have had their access to education cut off suddenly because of their displacements. The 1.5 million school-aged internally displaced children, the 870,495 girls and boys with disabilities, and the more than 2 million kids who are not in school are the most at risk (OCHA, 2023). Between September and October 2022, UNHCR and Deem for Development Organization renovated the classrooms at the schools with funding from a Quick Impact Project (QIP) (OCHA, 2023).

International organizations and communities are on a mission to reach children who need health and education assistance in the displaced and hard-to-reach places. OCHA, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNFPA, and others participated in the mission.

Lack of Access to Healthcare and WASH Facilities

Many people in Yemen also lack access to healthcare and nutrition services. 540,000 children live in a condition with acute malnutrition and insufficient health services. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) need for children are more common in the areas of new displacement and rural areas. Shelter and WASH assistance is the most important factor for children to pursue their education. In 2023, more than 8.6 million school-children will need assistance according to UNOCHA (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023).

The result of the war is damage to infrastructure and import disruption of fuel causing 61% of the Yemeni’s lack of access to water and 42% of the population to have not enough sanitation (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023). The sheer amount of time spent delivering water also harms the educational opportunities for children. With no choice but to go to the water points twice a day and carry plastic water containers on their heads, many children have been forced to quit school (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023).

The events to improve access to safe water were officially launched on February 2022 by IOM and YHF (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023). Many kids can go back to school and finish their education, particularly girls. The project also unlocks the ability of the people to engage in agriculture and other livelihood activities.

Spreading Diseases and Urgent Immunization of the Children

“The prolonged crisis and the lack of funding for the HRP threaten food insecurity, which could result in famine, disease outbreaks, and epidemics,” said Na’aem Al Khulaidi, program coordinator for the Tamdeen Youth Foundation (OCHA, Issue 2, 2023). For instance, polio has frighteningly returned to Yemen years after the country was declared free of the deadly illness.

Significant infectious disease outbreaks, including some that could have been prevented by vaccination, such as cholera, diphtheria, dengue, measles, and the reappearance of vaccine-derived polioviruses, were influenced by the conflict. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the health condition even worse.

A new level of complication was introduced for the millions of school children in Yemen with the Covid-19 pandemic. For the millions of boys and girls in Yemen, After many cases of illness were reported in March 2020, schools closed and stayed closed for six months. Although the reopening the schools, many children had not gone back to classes (ECW in Yemen, 2023).

Having suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic, Yemen is dealing with rising cases of poliovirus. 228 children have been paralyzed due to poliovirus in 2021 in Yemen. In Yemen, there were about 22,000 cases of measles in 2022, with 161 casualties. There have been 9,418 cases reported in 2023, and 77 children have died (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023).

Low immunization rates of vaccine-preventable diseases among children are a very dangerous situation for them to attend school. Many children’s families are not able to afford hospitalization costs (OCHA, Issue 3, 2023). While there have been numerous polio and measles vaccination campaigns over the past two years in the southern regions, children in the northern regions are particularly in danger due to the ongoing deadlock over additional immunization efforts there (OCHA, Issue 3, 2023).

A group of children, displaced by fighting in the Yemeni city of Hodediah. Photo by Peter Biro

Gender Inequality

The patriarchally-oriented cultural and religious institutions continue to be the principal opponent of female education. The government and international organizations strive to alter the mindset of the current families to forbid their daughters from pursuing education by launching various campaigns in rural areas, reinforcing the social norms that they have built (Ballout, 2023). Nevertheless, dropouts of the school-girls are at risk of child marriage, while boys are recruited by armed groups.

The most affected gender by the displacement is females. Bureaucratic obstacles prohibit women to travel without a company of a close family member. This has created a great impact on women to access and pursue education (OCHA, Issue 1, 2023). The increase in mahram requirements and mostly AA-controlled areas worsened the gender gap in education, resulting in a wide gender gap in literacy and basic education.

The country’s economic struggle plays a part in gender inequality too. Getting a very minimum income affects Yemeni households’ purchasing power. Weak economical conditions affect women’s conditions and children’s education.  It will have a domino effect and raise the danger of gender-based violence and other abuses among women and girls. Children will have less access to school and more cases of family dissolution, child labour, child marriage, and child trafficking (OCHA, 2022).

Insufficient Incentives to the Teachers

Yemen’s education system is in danger of collapsing, which will have an impact on both school-age males and females. The conflict that has lasted for years, the economy’s downfall, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all restricted access to schooling. Structured learning is still impacted by the insufficient payment of teachers’ salaries.

Since 2016, the majority of teachers in governorates (or 61% of the teaching staff) have received poor allowances. When teachers are paid, the amounts are little and paid slowly, which disincentivizes them for work and forces them to look for side jobs to support their income (Education in Yemen, 2023). Also, most teachers lead to quitting their jobs which risks nearly four million children losing access to education (Nagi, 2021). Every year, a number of teachers and students flee from the country, and a large portion of these individuals are the most qualified ones.

Another important problem is that there are not sufficient teacher training programs, causing qualified teachers to remain very less. The gender gap between the teachers is also very wide. Teachers are mainly male with 80%, which creates a lack of female teachers.

Teachers as well as students have suffered from this constant struggle and even exploited it against one another. Teachers and students were recruited to collaborate with the tribes that were engaged in this conflict. Peace and education are being replaced by conflict and political beliefs that serve the interests of parties and tribes. The students quit school and decide to ally themselves with the tribes that will pay for their families basic needs. This includes teachers who have gone for years without receiving payment (Taher et al., 2022).

References

Ballout, A. (2023). Female Education in Yemen. Available at SSRN 4318578.

Battling Hunger and Ensuring Yemeni Children Can Get Back to School. (2023, February 1). World Bank. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/02/01/battling-hunger-and-ensuring-yemeni-children-can-get-back-to-school

ECW in Yemen. (n.d.). Education Cannot Wait. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.educationcannotwait.org/our-investments/where-we-work/yemen

Education in Yemen. (n.d.). UNICEF. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/yemen/education

8 years of crushing conflict in Yemen. (2023, March 24). UNICEF. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/8-years-crushing-conflict-yemen-leave-more-11-million-children-need-humanitarian

How and why to end the war in Yemen. (2019, May 7). Economist. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/11/30/how-and-why-to-end-the-war-in-yemen?utm_medium=cpc.adword.pd&utm_source=google&ppccampaignID=18151738051&ppcadID=&utm_campaign=a.22brand_pmax&utm_content=conversion.direct-response.anonymous&gclid=CjwKCAjwge2iBh

ICRC. (2022, October 13). Yemen: Conflict leaves millions of children without proper education. In News and Press Release. https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-conflict-leaves-millions-children-without-proper-education-enar

Nagi, A. (2021). Education in Yemen: Turning Pens into Bullets.

OCHA. (2022, April 30). Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan 2022. https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-response-plan-2022-april-2022

OCHA. (2023, January). Report: Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 1). https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-1-january-2023-enar

OCHA. (2023, February). Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 2). https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-humanitarian-update-issue-2-february-2023-enar

OCHA. (2023, March). Yemen Humanitarian Update. (Issue 3).

Save the Children International, Save the Children Yemen. (2021, June). Report: Education in Crisis in Yemen.

Taher, A., Khan, Z., Alduais, A., & Muthanna, A. (2022). Intertribal conflict, educational development and education crisis in Yemen: A call for saving education. Review of Education, 10(3)(e3376).

Yemen: Why is the war there getting more violent? (2023, April 14). BBC. Retrieved May 26, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423

Featured image: Yemeni children play in the rubble of buildings destroyed in an air raid, Photo by Biro