The heavy legacy of war in Shabwa Governorate, like in other governorates, has affected all aspects of life, including the already weak and fragile educational system, resulting in numerous repercussions that have taken various forms, all pushing the deteriorating education system toward an abyss.
Teacher Shortages
Saleh Wareik, a parent of a student at one of Bayhan's boys' schools, spoke to "Khuyut" about the severe crisis affecting schools at various educational levels in the governorate. He stated, "During a visit to my son's school to assess his academic progress and overall discipline and behavior, I was surprised by the teachers' warm welcome in the school administration. They mistakenly thought I was there to apply for a teaching position due to the school's severe shortage of teaching staff, making the need for teachers to fill this gap critical."
Moreover, public schools in Bayhan District in general, as well as those throughout the rest of the governorate, are experiencing a severe shortage in the number of male and female teachers, as a result of many of them leaving the teaching profession in search of other jobs that can provide them with sufficient income to meet the demands of life.
“Many financially capable students in Shabwa's cities have been forced to transfer from public to private schools, which can provide at least minimal levels of education. This shift occurred particularly after public schools began recruiting unqualified volunteers to fill teaching positions, who lacked the necessary qualifications and experience to perform their educational duties adequately and effectively.”
Paralyzed Situation
The educational environment in Shabwa governorate is frustrating and disappointing, due to the miserable condition of schools as a result of the density of students in the classrooms, which hinders the teachers from performing their duties effectively, and the students from understanding and comprehending lessons. Additionally, the lack of school buildings forces students to study outdoors, compounded by a severe shortage of teachers, books, and school furniture.
It is worth mentioning that the number of students in each classroom ranges between 50 and 60, both boys and girls, across most grades.
Wareik continued, saying, "Many financially capable students in Shabwa's cities have been forced to transfer from public to private schools, which can provide at least minimal levels of education. This shift occurred particularly after public schools began recruiting unqualified volunteers to fill teaching positions who lacked the necessary qualifications and experience to perform their educational duties adequately and effectively.
Dangerous Decline
According to testimonies from students and educators to "Khuyut," the state of education in the governorate, particularly in areas far from the capital (Ataq), has become deplorable. This deterioration coincided with a decline in teachers' salaries and the depreciation of the local currency against foreign currencies to unprecedented levels, accompanied by soaring prices. Consequently, these factors have driven the majority of teachers to leave their jobs and engage in freelance work in hopes of finding a source of livelihood to support their families.
Saleh Jumaih, director of the Higher Institute for Teacher Training, spoke to "Khuyut" about the reasons behind the decline of the educational process in Shabwa Governorate. He said, "Education in Shabwa is experiencing a severe decline. The overall situation in the country has hindered effective solutions to stop this regression. However, from my position as the Dean of the Higher Institute for Teacher Training in the governorate and through my interactions with teachers in the field, I can summarize the reasons for this decline as follows: the absence of qualified teaching staff, the replacement of competent teachers with unqualified substitutes, the halt in recruiting new, qualified ones, and the failure to fulfill the rights of existing staff, especially the experienced teachers."
Jumaih emphasized that adjusting teachers' salaries to match the value of the currency before 2015, implementing the principle of reward and punishment, enforcing the civil service law on those absent from their jobs, and focusing on building new schools, especially for girls, would be sufficient to repair the damage that has befallen education.
On his part, Saleh Moais, the director of education in the Armaa district of Shabwa, tells "Khuyut," "In recent years, we have faced numerous difficulties and challenges due to population density and the general government deficits, which have impacted the provision of basic educational requirements, such as schoolbooks, chalks, blackboard pens, and water for the bathrooms."
Girls are the Victims
Moais continued: “Girls are more affected. In addition to the overall poor educational situation for girls across the governorate, the escalation of the current conflict in the country has led to a significant decline in the number of girls enrolled in education. Many families, especially in light of their vulnerability and poor conditions, prefer to bear the expenses of male education, while relegating girls to performing household tasks. Accordingly, the number of girls deprived of education in Shabwa Governorate has increased in recent years, and the phenomenon of school dropout has grown in many districts of the governorate.
In this regard, the educational researcher in Shabwa, Balqees (a pseudonym), spoke to "Khuyut", saying: "In every crisis, girls fall victim. They are victims of customs and traditions, war, and the poor economic situation of families, in addition to the prevalence of early marriage, and their assignment to manage household affairs, such as fetching water, collecting firewood, farming, herding sheep, and caring for children."
Balqees emphasized that one of the issues exacerbating the dropout rate among girls is the high illiteracy rate among parents and the scarcity of girls' schools. She noted that girls dropping out of education has created an environment almost devoid of female staff needed to serve women in healthcare, educational facilities, and similar sectors, indicating that the recruitment of female doctors and teachers from outside Shabwah to work in the educational and healthcare fields underscores the absence of local female staff, which is due to girls not continuing their education.
Neglected Countryside
The situation is getting worse in the countryside of Shabwa Governorate, as confirmed by Ali Jaza’a, an educational mentor in the governorate, who spoke to "Khuyut" about the challenges facing rural communities, with regard to education there, saying: “The largest part of the governorate is rural, and this vast geography is suffering from a shortage in the number of schools, which forces students to travel long distances, some of them on foot and others by transportation. Moreover, the significant shortage of teachers is more pronounced in rural areas, where local teachers often turn to farming and agriculture for livelihoods, while teachers from the cities find it hard to stay in the countryside, especially in light of the interruption of salary payments for several months, in addition to the complete neglect of rural areas in providing textbooks to their schools.”
“Schools in Shabwa are grappling with a shortage of teachers due to the rapid population growth in the province. Currently, there are approximately 650 schools catering to around 150,000 students. The workforce comprises nine thousand teachers and administrative staff throughout the governorate. However, the halt in recruitment since 2011 has led to a severe shortage of teachers.”
Al-Salehi, director of education in Bayhan, discusses the dissatisfaction of educational authorities with the current state of education in the governorate, but he believes that efforts are being made to resolve the current situation. He told "Khuyut," "We are not satisfied with the current state of the educational process, but we are working on improving it through the collective efforts of the local authority, educational directors, school principals, parents, and students. We hope that these efforts, with sincere intentions and strong determination, will lead to improvements."
Likewise, he pointed out that there are about 298 permanent teachers, while the rest are substitute teachers contracted to manage the educational process in Bayhan's schools in Shabwa. He emphasized that this contracting system has disrupted the educational process in the district's schools, even though it appears to be a temporary solution.
Shortage of School Books
Al-Salehi further explained that schools in the district, especially from fifth grade to high school, often lack even a single copy of the textbook, forcing most teachers to buy copies of the curriculum on their own. Additionally, students in several schools sit on the ground, alongside a complete lack of teaching aids and laboratories, despite the curricula being closely linked to practical aspects.
On his part, Salem Hanash, the Director of General Education in Shabwa Governorate, told "Khuyut" that most districts in the governorate are grappling with a shortage of teachers due to the rapid population growth in the governorate. Currently, there are approximately 650 schools catering to around 150,000 students, with a workforce of about 9,000 teachers and administrative staff across the entire governorate. However, the halt in recruitment since 2011 has led to a severe shortage of teachers. Therefore, to alleviate the educational challenges in the governorate, the local authority supported the educational institutions by employing contracted teachers to address the shortage.
