New school year starts

By Faisal Abdullah


The new school year starts today Saturday (September 17th) in Yemen, and officials have pledged to make every effort to ensure the success of the education process in light of increasing economic pressures on parents.
Mohammed Hadi Tawaf, under-secretary for the ministry of education said that schools are prepared for the six million students who are enrolled nationally.
"We are optimistic about the success of the new school year, and signs indicate this year will be better than the second half of the last academic year," he said.
Tawaf was referring to the strike by some teachers who also took part in political demonstrations against the government.
"The ministry will be firm in dealing with whoever impairs the education process, and salaries will be paid only to those who work. There will be no leniency with those who abstain from teaching as happened last year," he said.
The Council of Ministers warned during a meeting Tuesday, September 13th about using the education process as a tool in political negotiations. Officials called on all political activists to spare the education process from partisan conflicts. They emphasized the need for the military to leave all educational institutions so the students can study without distractions.
The council instructed the ministry of education and provincial governors to take the necessary legal action against absent members of the teaching and administrative staff and submit a weekly status report to the Council of Ministers on the implementation of the resolutions. 
Tawaf, who is visiting Aden province, told Yemen Observer his visit aims to address the situation of refugees from Zinjibar who are now living in Aden's schools. Refugees fled Zinjibar for Aden after al-Qaeda affiliates seized control of the city and clashed with the army. Tawaf said he wants to make sure students in Aden are able to study in their schools, and find alternative shelters for the Zinjibar refugees.
Tawaf said public education in Yemen is almost free and tuition is minimal, amounting to about $1 for the entire school year. He said families that hold social security cards are exempt from paying tuition, and school administrators have the authority to exempt poor families if they are considered unable to bear any cost.
Adel al-Banna, principal of Jeel al-Mithaq school in Sana’a province, said the turnout rate of students who registered for the academic year during the first four days of open registration reached 70%. He said he expects the school to exceed its capacity because many families are earning less, and parents are eager to provide education for their children but can't afford to put them in private schools.
Al-Banna said teachers are eager to be in their classrooms, noting that some teachers' salaries were cut following last year's events. School officials are taking the necessary steps to ensure the school year is a success.
Parents are under a greater financial strain because of the weak national economy. Abdul Jabbar Mohammed, a government employee, said he decided to register his three sons in a public school near his home instead of the private school they attended in previous years. He lost his night job in the private sector and relies upon his day job in the public sector.
"The continuing crisis, the start of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday depleted all my savings. Public education, under any circumstance, is better than my children going without an education, at least at this juncture," Mohammed said.
Dr. Adel al-Shujaa, head of the Future Movement and an education professor at the University of Sana’a, said the tense political environment is having an effect on the new school year.
"Those who are claiming or seeking to establish a modern civil state are seeking primarily to fight education," he said. "Are they forces of modernity or backwardness?"
Al-Shujaa said that the public and the government are determined to get matters under control. Officials are working to ensure the education process functions smoothly and have adopted measures in all schools to support those aims, he said.