essay about education in yemen

Improving the Quality of Basic Education for the Future Youth of Yemen Post Arab Spring

• Download the full paper

Subscribe to Global Connection

Takako yuki and ty takako yuki yuriko kameyama yk yuriko kameyama.

January 31, 2013

This paper looks at the issue of the quality of education in Yemen. It uses micro-data from TIMSS and from surveys conducted in underserved rural areas, as well as macro-level policy information from the System Assessment for Better Education Results (SABER) database. The analysis indicates that the availability of teachers and resources at schools, the monitoring and supervision of schools and parental involvement in schooling are important factors for better learning outcomes and avoiding trade-offs between expansion of enrollment and quality of learning. The paper suggests three types of reforms that can be carried out in the short run. First, it is necessary to systematically monitor teachers’ actual deployment and attendance in order to link the information with salary management and incentives. Second, there is a need to refine and scale up the existing implementation and monitoring mechanism for school grants to reward schools and communities that improve access for disadvantaged students and girls, and enhance the quality of learning. Third, there is a need to enhance transparency and accountability of school resources and results by disseminating a simple database that would include trends of basic indicators to monitor and compare progress at the school, district and governorate level.

Early Childhood Education Global Education

Global Economy and Development

Middle East & North Africa Yemen

June 20, 2024

Elyse Painter, Emily Gustafsson-Wright

January 5, 2024

Online only

9:00 am - 10:00 am EST

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Article Menu

• Subscribe SciFeed
• Recommended Articles
• Google Scholar
• on Google Scholar
• Table of Contents

Find support for a specific problem in the support section of our website.

Please let us know what you think of our products and services.

Visit our dedicated information section to learn more about MDPI.

JSmol Viewer

The interaction of war impacts on education: experiences of school teachers and leaders.

1. Introduction

1.1. key factors for the conflict’s continuity, and the education status in yemen, 1.2. war impact on education and the initiatives for repairing war-torn education systems, 2. research design, 3. findings, 3.1. impact of conflict on child learners, 3.1.1. from displacement to discrimination.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of awareness among the people in general, and the awareness of some workers in these camps. There is a discrimination against the marginalized children. They call these children with racist descriptions, and they are also subjected to beatings and insults.

The war directly affected the escalation of violence on the marginalized group (Muhammashin)… When they fled the war to some camps outside the city of Aden, they became threatened, and their children could not get out of their camps because they were described as spies. This increases pressure on this group, and makes teaching their children more difficult.

In one of the Sana’a University offices, I found three young sisters who work as cleaners at the university. The eldest one is in the first grade of secondary school. Through my conversation with them, I discovered that they were studying when their father was with them before the war. When the war began, the father disappeared because he was in the military, and now, no one knows anything about him… During my conversations with the girls, they showed the extent of their dissatisfaction with the people dealing with them as cleaners, as when they were with their father, they had a comfortable life. Of course, this affected me a lot, and I felt sad about these children and the rest of the Yemeni children.

3.1.2. From Child Soldiers to Feeding the Conflict of Identities

The lack of awareness among school learners and children greatly contributes to exploiting and influencing them with illusions of victory or martyrdom, and that manhood is to carry weapons. The warring parties fuel sectarian feelings in them for fighting. This deprives them of their basic rights (e.g., the right to live, the right to education, and the right to live a decent life). We see the school learners who are affected by this propaganda wearing the military uniform and carrying weapons instead of wearing the school uniforms and carrying pens. This raises concerns about the future of coexistence between generations because of this conflict at the cultural and the national level.

The danger is also from children who are ideologically involved in the war. It is difficult for us to rehabilitate them afterwards, while it can be done with children who go to war to get money.

We are seeing what is circulated about the attempts of the Houthi-ruled party in the north to make deep changes in the curricula. The Houthis are working to change their culture by presenting a narrative based on religious mobilization, and the introduction of sectarian concepts that will negatively affect the future. We are very worried about our future, and we do not know what will happen in the light of this struggle that uses religious mobilization to gain political interests.

3.1.3. Societal Rejection and the Destruction of Mental Health

There is a large group of children suffering from psychological problems and behavioral disorders, especially those who live in the bombed areas. Our neighbor used to live in one of the conflict zones, but he along with his children was displaced to our neighborhood. Two of his children could not go to school because of fear and anxiety, and there are no psychiatrists to deal with these cases. And even if psychiatrists exist, not many people will go to them because of fear of social stigma.

3.2. Exploiting Education for Profit and the Normalization of Negativity

The war has contributed to creating an environment capable of transforming education into a negative investment, so private schools increased significantly. Compared to the absence of salaries in the state schools, teachers go to the private schools in search of what would meet their material needs. The matter was negatively reflected on the education process itself and on the economic side as well. There is no mentorship on schools’ work or their content. They only care about money.

Almost in every area, urban and rural, some phenomena that we did not know have appeared. Some people try to impose their views on others by force, and injustice prevails over justice. Children are brought up under conditions that present crime as the norm while the right has become an exception.

3.3. Cutting the Salary and Destroying the Teachers’ Dignity

The war destroyed everything in our lives... The teachers see directly what they did not imagine would happen one day... Whoever imagines that the teachers will work without a financial or moral return; financially to help them support those under their responsibility (a wife and children), and morally as they receive no appreciation or thanks. Some teachers continue to teach for fear of losing their job, and some others see that it is their duty toward the future of their learners. However, teaching will not be professionally conducted since teachers’ thinking is occupied, and their psyche is broken.

The old folk Yemeni proverb says: “Throat-cutting is better than salary-cutting.” Within three years, I find our schools almost empty of the teachers and the learners due to the interruption of salaries, which represents the lifeline of the teachers. There are many tragic human situations we live in and see with our eyes [that many people] suffering from incurable diseases, and unable to buy medicine until they die simply because modesty and self-dignity prevented them from seeking help. There is a teacher in one of the… schools who fell on the ground in the school queue between the feet of his learners. He had been exhausted by cancer that has spread in his body six months ago and died without his colleagues’ knowledge of his suffering. There is nothing to say but “there is neither power nor might except with/by God”.

3.4. A Model of the Interaction of War’s Impacts on Education

4. discussion and conclusions, author contributions, informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

• Forcing thousands of families to flee to safer areas.
• Separating families in quest for income.
• Forcing children to drop out of schools and/or receiving low quality education.
• Overcrowding classrooms with the displaced in safer areas, affecting their learning.
• Dispersing peers, making the adaptation of the displaced students more difficult.
• Affecting children’s psychology and their academic achievement.
• Recruiting many children for military purposes, putting children’s lives at risk.
• Spreading malnutrition, diseases among the displaced, affecting their capacities.
• Keeping female children at home and sending only males to schools.
• Increasing child labor due to families’ financial challenges.
• Destroying schools and/or using them for military purposes.
• Killing, injuring, or assaulting students, teachers, and educators.
• Declining the education quality.
• Depriving employees of their salaries.
• O’Malley, B. Education under Attack, 2010: A Global Study on Targeted Political and Military Violence against Education Staff, Students, Teachers, Union and Government Officials, Aid Workers and Institutions ; UNESCO: Paris, France, 2010. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ali, F.Q. Study of the impact of socio-political conflicts on Libyan children and their education system. Int. J. Engl. Lang. Transl. Stud. 2021 , 9 , 50–58. [ Google Scholar ]
• Dar, A.A.; Deb, S. Mental Health in the Face of Armed Conflict: Experience from Young Adults of Kashmir. J. Loss Trauma Int. Perspect. Stress Coping 2020 , 26 , 287–297. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Sharifian, M.S.; Kennedy, P. Teachers in war zone education: Literature review and implications. Int. J. Whole Child 2019 , 4 , 9–26. [ Google Scholar ]
• Poirier, T. The effects of armed conflict on schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 2012 , 32 , 341–351. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• UNICEF. Syria Education Sector Analysis: The Effects of the Crisis on Education in Areas Controlled by the Government of Syria, 2010–2015 ; UNICEF: New York, NY, USA, 2015. [ Google Scholar ]
• Al-Bazzaz, S.M.J. The Social and Psychological Effects of the Iraqi-American War on Children in Iraqi Society. Unpublished. Master Thesis, College of Arts, Baghdad University, Baghdad, Iraq, 2005. [ Google Scholar ]
• Rahima, N.S. The impact of armed conflicts on the education quality in Iraq. J. Cent. Arab. Int. Stud. Al-Mustansiriya Univ. 2017 , 14 , 220–255. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ministry of Education. Periodic Statistics ; Ministry of Education: Sana’a, Yemen, 2016.
• Studies and Educational Media Center. Outside the School Walls: Implications of the War and Its Implications for Education in Yemen ; Studies and Educational Media Center: Sana’a, Yemen, 2015. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ministry of Education. Education in Yemen: Five Years of Withstanding Aggression ; Ministry of Education: Sana’a, Yemen, 2020.
• Dunlop, E.; King, E. Education at the intersection of conflict and peace: The inclusion and framing of education provisions in African peace agreements from 1975–2017. Comp. A J. Comp. Int. Educ. 2019 , 51 , 375–395. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Bush, K.D.; Saltarelli, D. The Two Faces of Education in Ethnic Conflict: Towards a Peacebuilding Education for Children ; UNICEF Innocent Research Centre: Florence, Italy, 2000. [ Google Scholar ]
• Baron, A. Foreign and Domestic Influences in the War in Yemen. In The Proxy Wars Project; PWP Conflict Studies ; Virginia Tech Publishing: Blacksburg, VA, USA.
• Hasanović, M. Psychological consequences of war-traumatized children and adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Acta Medica Acad. 2011 , 40 , 45–66. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Wang, Y.; Feng, Y.; Han, Q.; Zuo, J.; Rameezdeen, R. Perceived discrimination of displaced people in development-induced displacement and resettlement: The role of integration. Cities 2020 , 101 , 102692. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Almahfali, M. Anti-Black Racism in Yemen: Manifestations and Responses. Arab Reform Initiative. 2021. Available online: https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/anti-black-racism-in-yemen (accessed on 5 February 2022).
• Muthanna, A. Exploring the Beliefs of Teacher Educators, Students, and Administrators: A Case Study of the English Language Teacher Education Program in Yemen. Master’s Thesis, METU: Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, 2011. [ Google Scholar ]
• UNICEF. Yemen: Country Report on Out-of-School Children ; UNICEF: New York, NY, USA, 2014. [ Google Scholar ]
• Muthanna, A.; Sang, G. Brain drain in higher education: Critical voices on teacher education in Yemen. Lond. Rev. Educ. 2018 , 16 , 296–307. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Keiichi, O. Achieving education for all in Yemen: Assessment and current status. J. Int. Coop. Stud. 2004 , 12 , 69–89. [ Google Scholar ]
• Ghundol, B.; Muthanna, A. Conflict and international education: Experiences of Yemeni international students. Comp. A J. Comp. Int. Educ. 2022 , 52 , 933–948. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Muthanna, A.; Sang, G. State of University Library: Challenges and Solutions for Yemen. J. Acad. Libr. 2019 , 45 , 119–125. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• UNICEF. Education Disrupted: Impact of the Conflict on Children’s Education in Yemen ; UNICEF: New York, NY, USA, 2021. [ Google Scholar ]
• Mwatana. War of Ignorance: Field Study on the Impact of the Armed Conflict on Access to Education in Yemen. 2021. Available online: https://mwatana.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Executive-summary-of-education-study-FINAL-Jan-28-21-1.pdf (accessed on 5 March 2022).
• Moyi, P. Who goes to school? School enrollment patterns in Somalia. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 2012 , 32 , 163–171. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Word Bank. Somalia Economic Update: Building Education to Boost Human Capital , 4th ed.; Word Bank: Washington, DC, USA, 2019. [ Google Scholar ]
• Bekalo, S.A.; Brophy, M.; Welford, A.G. The development of education in post-conflict ‘Somaliland’. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 2003 , 23 , 459–475. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Lauritzen, S.M. Building peace through education in a post-conflict environment: A case study exploring perceptions of best practices. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 2016 , 51 , 77–83. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Blattman, C.; Fiala, N.; Martinez, S. Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda. Q. J. Econ. 2013 , 129 , 697–752. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Transfeld, M.; Heinze, M.C. Understanding Peace Requirements in Yemen ; Carpo: Bonn, Germany, 2019. [ Google Scholar ]
• Webb, C. Yemen and education: Shaping bottom-up emergent responses around tribal values and customary law. Int. J. Comp. Educ. Dev. 2018 , 20 , 148–164. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Griffiths, T.G. Education to transform the world: Limits and possibilities in and against the SDGs and ESD. Int. Stud. Sociol. Educ. 2020 , 30 , 73–92. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Higgins, S. Culturally responsive peacebuilding pedagogy: A case study of Fambul Tok Peace Clubs in conflict-affected Sierre Leone. Int. Stud. Sociol. Educ. 2019 , 28 , 127–145. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Baranovicé, B. History Textbooks in Post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Intercult. Educ. 2001 , 12 , 13–26. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Ommering, E.V. Formal history education in Lebanon: Crossroads of past conflicts and prospects for peace. Int. J. Educ. Dev. 2015 , 41 , 200–207. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Yin, R.K. Case Study Research: Design and Methods , 4th ed.; Sage Publications: Washington, DC, USA, 2009. [ Google Scholar ]
• Clandinin, D.J.; Huber, J. Narrative inquiry. In International Encyclopedia of Education , 3rd ed.; Peterson, P., Baker, E., McGaw, B., Eds.; Elsevier: New York, NY, USA, 2010; pp. 436–441. [ Google Scholar ]
• Denzin, N.K.; Lincoln, Y.S. Introduction: Critical methodologies and indigenous inquiry. In Critical and Indigenous Methodologies ; Denzin, N.K., Lincoln, Y.S., Eds.; Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2008. [ Google Scholar ]
• Flick, U. Introducing Research Methodology ; Sage: London, UK, 2011. [ Google Scholar ]
• Charmaz, K. The Power of Constructivist Grounded Theory for Critical Inquiry. Qual. Inq. 2016 , 23 , 34–45. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• De Coning, C. Understanding peacebuilding: Consolidating the peace process. Confl. Trends 2008 , 4 , 45–51. [ Google Scholar ]
• Milton, S.; Barakat, S. Higher education as the catalyst of recovery in conflict-affected societies. Glob. Soc. Educ. 2016 , 14 , 403–421. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• UNICEF. Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding: Programming Guide ; UNICEF: New York, NY, USA, 2016. [ Google Scholar ]
• Lewis, A. The need for contextualisation in the analysis of curriculum content in conflict. In Education and Conflict Review: Theories and Conceptual Frameworks in Education, Conflict and Peacebuilding ; Pherali, T., Magee, A., Eds.; Centre for Education and International Development (CEID): London, UK, 2019; pp. 28–32. [ Google Scholar ]
• Menier, C.; Forget, R.; Lambert, J. Evaluation of two-point discrimination in children: Reliability, effects of passive displacement and voluntary movement. Dev. Med. Child Neurol. 1996 , 38 , 523–537. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ PubMed ]
• Stark, L.; Roberts, L.; Wheaton, W.; Acham, A.; Boothby, N.; Ager, A. Measuring violence against women amidst war and displacement in northern Uganda using the “neighbourhood method”. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2009 , 64 , 1056–1061. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]

Click here to enlarge figure

Share and Cite

Muthanna, A.; Almahfali, M.; Haider, A. The Interaction of War Impacts on Education: Experiences of School Teachers and Leaders. Educ. Sci. 2022 , 12 , 719. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100719

Muthanna A, Almahfali M, Haider A. The Interaction of War Impacts on Education: Experiences of School Teachers and Leaders. Education Sciences . 2022; 12(10):719. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100719

Muthanna, Abdulghani, Mohammed Almahfali, and Abdullateef Haider. 2022. "The Interaction of War Impacts on Education: Experiences of School Teachers and Leaders" Education Sciences 12, no. 10: 719. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12100719

Article Metrics

Article access statistics, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals

• IIEP Buenos Aires

• A global institute
• Governing Board
• Expert directory
• 60th anniversary
• Monitoring and evaluation

Latest news

• Upcoming events
• PlanED: The IIEP podcast
• Partnering with IIEP
• Career opportunities
• 11th Medium-Term Strategy
• Planning and management to improve learning
• Inclusion in education
• Using digital tools to promote transparency and accountability
• Ethics and corruption in education
• Digital technology to transform education
• Crisis-sensitive educational planning
• Rethinking national school calendars for climate-resilient learning
• Skills for the future
• Interactive map
• Foundations of education sector planning programmes
• Online specialized courses
• Customized, on-demand training
• Training in Buenos Aires
• Training in Dakar
• Preparation of strategic plans
• Sector diagnosis
• Costs and financing of education
• Tools for planning
• Crisis-sensitive education planning
• Supporting training centres
• Support for basic education quality management
• Gender at the Centre
• Teacher careers
• Geospatial data
• Cities and Education 2030
• Learning assessment data
• Governance and quality assurance
• School grants
• Early childhood education
• Flexible learning pathways in higher education
• Instructional leaders
• Planning for teachers in times of crisis and displacement
• Planning to fulfil the right to education
• Thematic resource portals
• Policy Fora
• Network of Education Policy Specialists in Latin America
• Publications
• Briefs, Papers, Tools
• Search the collection
• Visitors information
• Planipolis (Education plans and policies)
• IIEP Learning Portal
• Ethics and corruption ETICO Platform
• PEFOP (Vocational Training in Africa)
• SITEAL (Latin America)
• Policy toolbox
• Education for safety, resilience and social cohesion
• Health and Education Resource Centre
• Interactive Map
• Search deploy
• The institute

Safeguarding the right to education in Yemen

Shutterstock_482080354-1.jpg.

Since the outbreak of conflict in 2011, learners, teachers, and education staff in Yemen have demonstrated resilience to ensure the continuation of education. However, the devastating humanitarian crisis has taken its toll.

The safety and security of education personnel and learners remain threatened. Schools have been destroyed or damaged, occupied by armed groups, or used as shelters by displaced persons. Almost two million children are out of school, over four million need support to access education, and over 20 percent of all basic and secondary schools are closed. As a result, children and youth are not receiving the education they need to thrive.

A new chapter for education in Yemen

However, the future of education in Yemen is entering a new phase with the recent launch of a three-year Transitional Education Plan (TEP). This short-term plan supports national authorities and their partners in not only mitigating the negative effects of the crisis on the education system but also in putting in place a series of prevention and preparedness measures. Its overall aim is to safeguard learners and teachers and strengthen the resilience of the education system to retain important gains made in the past decade.

The TEP includes four key priorities, including:

• Safe, equitable access to education,
• Improved teaching and learning,
• Rehabilitation of educational infrastructure and provision of equipment, and
• Strengthened institutional capacities.

These objectives originally came from an Education Situation Analysis (ESA), which provides an analysis of education needs and key challenges that learners, teachers, and education staff face to provide and access safe, quality education.

Bridging political divisions

The process of preparing a TEP for the whole of Yemen allowed education staff to bridge political divisions for the sake of Yemen’s children. Under the leadership of the regional UNESCO office in Beirut , IIEP-UNESCO provided technical support to the Ministry of Education’s staff and partners in the development of the plan.

3 questions for an educational planner from Yemen

Randa Bamuqabel played an instrumental role in the development of Yemen’s new three-year education plan. In 2018-2019, she pursued a one-year training with IIEP-UNESCO to help support her country in planning for a stronger education system.

How will you apply what you learned at IIEP to your professional life?

I will be able to provide recommendations to the planning department in the Ministry of Education; help to begin the implementation phase of the Transitional Education Plan for Yemen; facilitate communication between stakeholders; and contribute to develop the monitoring and evaluation frameworks for plans and projects, among other things.

What are the three most challenging barriers to equal access to education for all?

Three challenges are poverty and living standards, early marriage for girls, and a lack of special programmes for children with special needs, IDPs, refugees and very poor learners to get quality education.

How will you remember your time at IIEP in a few years? I will remember it as one of the most productive periods of my life. I learned a lot and my self-confidence has increased, as well as my awareness of the importance of equity and gender equality. My knowledge of the sustainable development goals has also increased and I really want to help develop my country to keep up with these goals.

• IIEP at the Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa 01 July 2024
• Apply now! KIX Learning Cycle on secondary teacher workforce management 28 June 2024
• Civil society’s role in educational planning: Insights from Zimbabwe 25 June 2024

• Privacy Notice

Content Search

Hanging in the balance: yemeni children’s struggle for education.

• Save the Children

Attachments

YEMEN: NINE YEARS INTO CONFLICT AND TWO YEARS INTO TRUCE, SCHOOL DROPOUTS SOAR

SANA’A, March 25, 2024 – After nine years of conflict in Yemen, two in five children, or 4.5 million , are out of school, with displaced children twice as likely to drop out than their peers, according to a new report by Save the Children.

The report, titled ‘ Hanging in the Balance: Yemeni Children’s Struggle for Education ’, found that one-third of families surveyed in Yemen have at least one child who has dropped out of school in the past two years despite the UN-brokered truce that took effect in 2022.

Although the truce officially expired in October 2022, parties have continued to adhere to its core elements and large-scale fighting has not reignited. However, while casualty rates have dropped, three-quarters of students (76%) reported that their sense of safety has not increased, with 14% of families citing violence as a direct cause of school dropouts.

The ongoing violence and the collapsed economy in Yemen have pushed two-thirds of the population below the poverty line and displaced an estimated 4.5 million people or 14% of the population, most of whom have been displaced multiple times.

Save the Children’s analysis found that displaced children are twice as vulnerable to school dropouts, and while returning to the area of origin reduces the vulnerability of internally displaced children to school dropouts by 20%, ongoing insecurity prevents their ability to return home.

Monthly school fees and the cost of textbooks are putting education out of reach for many, with 20% of families reporting they are unaffordable. Over 44% of caregivers and children surveyed said that the need to support their family’s income generation was a primary reason behind school dropouts. Hani*, 48, is a teacher, who was compelled to withdraw two of his four daughters from school due to the high cost. "School expenses for each child can reach more than 25% of my salary. My salary is 76,300 Riyals (approximately US$46), and that is not even enough to cover the food we need."

The minimum food basket – the amount needed to sustain a family of seven for a month - costs 85 USD on average in Yemen.

Rami*, a 12-year-old boy, said he had to drop out of school to support his family. Rami* said:

"How can I go to school when I know we can't cover our expenses and my siblings need food? I must leave school and work."

Mohamed Mannaa, Save the Children Interim Country Director in Yemen said:

“Nine years into this forgotten conflict, we are confronting an education emergency like never before. Our latest findings must be a wake-up call and we must act now to protect these children and their future.

“While the truce reduced some violence, it hasn't ever brought the stability families desperately need to rebuild their lives. Above everything else, families in Yemen need an official ceasefire; without one, families are left in limbo.

“We can't let the children of Yemen, who yearn for nothing more than safety and the chance to learn, lose sight of a future filled with possibility. Every child in Yemen deserves to grow up with security, access to quality education, and a horizon filled with promise. The longer we wait, the harder it is to achieve long lasting impact.”

The impact of the education crisis on Yemen's children and their future is profound. Without immediate intervention, an entire generation risks being left behind, with long-term consequences for the country's recovery and development.

Save the Children calls on all stakeholders, including the Yemeni authorities, donor states, institutions, and humanitarian actors, to urgently address these challenges. This includes committing to a renewed peace process, ensuring the protection of schools and students, increasing funding for education, and scaling up integrated child protection interventions.

For over 60 years, Save the Children has been dedicated to supporting Yemen's children. We’re currently active across 11 governorates, focusing on food security, health, nutrition, child protection, education, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives. Our work includes health and nutrition programs, access to education through non-formal learning and teacher training, child protection efforts, and strengthening community resilience with cash assistance and livelihood opportunities.

Multimedia content available for this release:

Case studies (interviews, broll, photos) - School where students were injured in Lahj: www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2SOYSCTM

Videos (Interviews and broll) - Morad* and Hani*, school teachers in Lahj: www.contenthubsavethechildren.org/Package/2O4C2SOYS8UT

Notes to Editors:

According to OCHA, of Yemen’s 10.7 million school-age children over 4.5 million are out of school.

Research methodology: The report ‘ Hanging in the Balance: Yemeni Children’s Struggle for Education’ combines a mixed-methodology approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods across Yemen. This comprehensive study involved surveying 1,068 children and 528 caregivers to gather quantitative data. Qualitative insights were obtained through in-depth interviews with 15 children, caregivers, and teachers affected by the crisis. Focus Group Discussions were held with 30 children from various regions to hear directly about their fears, hopes, aspirations, and perspectives on their educational journey and prospects.

Related Content

Yemen: humanitarian response snapshot (april 2024) [en/ar], acaps thematic report - yemen: voices from khanfar district: understanding household challenges and coping strategies (14 june 2024), yemen humanitarian update: issue 4, may 2024, yemen: rapid response mechanism-first line response rrm cumulative snapshot, jan - may 2024.

• Get involved

Education as the path to peace

January 24, 2024.

School children in Dhmar fetching water for their families.

In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, in celebration of the role of education in peace and development. Education goes beyond critical literacy and numeracy skills, and research demonstrates that it increases competencies like empathy, tolerance, and intercultural understanding. Education is a right, a public good and a public responsibility. 

Education, in all its forms and dimensions, in and out of classrooms, can and should be a pathway to bringing about lasting peace in Yemen and beyond. Against the backdrop of heighted tensions, growing inequalities, and the climate crisis, prioritizing and investing in education is now more compelling than ever.

Children learning at an elementary school in Yemen.

As part of the UN Peace Support Facility’s phase I interventions, a training of trainers on school safety was conducted to enhance the safety of more than 50,000 students in 50 schools across six governorates in Yemen.

Ensuring that places of education are safe havens for students and education personnel is critical to the continuity of learning and teaching, the right to access quality education, and to fostering peace and social cohesion.

In 2022, the UN Peace Support Facility joined forces with the Women’s Research and Training Center (WRTC) at Aden University to establish a peacebuilding network that aims to upskill and equip community members with mediation, dialogue, analytical thinking and negotiation skills. In addition, the network puts forward the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda and advocates for women’s participation in all spectrums of peace processes through trainings, workshops, and lectures at the university.  

The 100 women and men network members continue to actively transfer the knowledge and the skills that they acquired through the peacebuilding network to members of their local communities.  

Discussion during a WRTC training session in Aden.

Dr. Saeed Al-Qashbri is an Associate Professor and Gender Analysis Consultant at the WRTC and the Executive Director of the WRTC’s Feminist and Development Studies Master's Program Alumni Network.

With more than 15 years of experience as an academic, Dr. Saeed believes that investing in peace education can accelerate progress towards peace in Yemen. 

“Due to the diverse demographic composition in Yemen, the educational system has to be recalibrated to allow for the development of competencies like tolerance, social cohesion, cooperation, and acceptance of others, and rejecting intolerance and extremism.” 

“When the educational system becomes more gender inclusive, more women will be able to reach decision making positions. This contributes to the achievement of just and equal societies, thus the achievement of durable peace.”

Dr. Huda Ali Alawi is a Professor of Criminal Law at the Faculty of Law, a researcher in human and women's rights and consultant in conflict resolution. She is also the Director of the Women's Research and Training Center at Aden University. 

“We cannot achieve lasting peace without education. Education contributes to the psychosocial and cognitive development of communities. It allows communities to learn skills such as mediation and changes peoples’ behaviors for the better.”  

“Raising awareness on the importance of conflict prevention, and the links between the achievement of durable peace and sustainable development, climate action and food security, especially among children and youth, is important because peace is more than just the absence of violence.” 

Education offers learners a path to a promising future and a ladder out of poverty, the latter being a key driver of conflict. It should be transformative, and help empower learners with the necessary knowledge, values, attitudes and skills and behaviors to become agents of peace. 

These activities were made possible thanks to the generous funding from the European Union, the German Cooperation, and the Government of Norway.

Related  content

Communal microfinancing brings hope to rural Yemen

In central Yemen’s high mountains, beekeepers harvest honey, for which the country is famous. In cities and villages alike, men wear a traditional woven kilt, kno...

Fostering peace, building resilience in Yemen: UNDP and the European Union

This year marks two decades of partnership between UNDP and the European Union (EU). From addressing challenges related to crisis management and governance, to pe...

Publications

Undp yemen gender equality strategy 2022-2025.

This document outlines UNDP Yemen’s Country Office Gender Equality Strategy Update for the years 2022-2025 in linkage with previous strategic documents (2013-2015...

Towards a sustainable catch: supporting Yemen’s tuna industry

Many countries across the world, including Yemen, depend on tuna resources for food security and nutrition, economic development, employment, and livelihoods. How...

Women Leading the Way: Yemen's Peace Ambassadors are Making a Difference

In the context of conflict resolution and peacebuilding, empowerment through awareness and training take on added significance. Women possess invaluable insights ...

Food Security

• Clean Water & Hygeine

Women’s Economic Empowerment

• Sustainable Development & Livelihood
• Other Ways to Help
• Make a Donations
• Transparency and Accountability
• Press Release
• Become a Volunteer

Start a Fundraiser

My Donation Summary

Making a real difference on the ground with programs tailored to bring relief to the lives of those most affected.

Rebuild Schools and Empower Youth Education

In war-torn Yemen, the pursuit of education has become an arduous journey for the nation's youth. The stark reality is that out of the 10.1 million boys and girls aged between 5 and 17, a staggering 8.1 million are in desperate need of assistance, with almost 2.9 million facing acute educational challenges.

In response to this educational crisis, Yemen Aid has taken a bold step onto the front lines, determined to rewrite the narrative for the nation's youth. Our mission is clear: to ensure that 5,000 school-aged children not only regain access to education but thrive in an environment conducive to learning.

Additional information

Related products

The Last 10 Nights

The Best 10 Days

General Funds

Your support matters

Together, let's break the cycle and create a brighter, more promising tomorrow for the children of Yemen.

The Education Cluster's estimation reveals a staggering crisis, highlighting the urgent need for intervention. Over 2,500 schools in Yemen have been either destroyed, damaged, or repurposed for non-educational functions. This devastation has directly impacted 1.1 million children, depriving them of the fundamental right to learn and grow.

• Renovate and rebuild damaged or destroyed schools.
• Expands access to modern educational resources and tools.
• Enables access to education for those facing financial barriers.
• Prepares individuals for employment and entrepreneurship.

Our Impactful Programs

Building Brighter Futures

Yemen's the struggle for clean water.

Battling Disease, Fostering Resilience, and Rebuilding Lives.

Millions Face Hunger, Children Suffer, and Families.

As conflict continues across Yemen, hunger and starvation surges at unprecedented levels.

Clean Water & Hygeine

Empowering Yemeni Women: Restoring Hope, Building Futures

The contribution of women in society is immeasurable.

Yemen Aid is determined to rewrite the narrative for the nation's youth.

A Path to Sustainable Development and Resilience

Yemen’s health sector remains almost non-existent since the start of the civil war in 2014.

Sustainable Development & Livelihood

Rebuilding Yemen: to Sustainable Development

By supporting them to restore their confidence and hope through economic opportunities.

Yemen Aid's Zakat initiative

Your Zakat has the power to bring hope, relief, and positive change to those who need it the most.

Yemen Emergency Appeal

Bridging Hearts, Rebuilding Hope

We have worked tirelessly to bring the Yemeni message to the international community through humanitarian relief on the ground in Yemen and through our various advocacy work on international and professional platforms.

Join us today and be a part of the change that Yemen deserves.

Organization.

• Ways To Help
• Make A Donations
• News & Blogs
• Privacy Policy

Connect with us

• Official Mailing Business: PO BOX 238 Yonkers, NY 10704
• [email protected]

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates

• Copyright © 2024.Yemen Aid We are a 501 (C) (3) organization. Tax ID # 81-4112042. All donations are tax deductible.
• Digital Transformed by Digital Marksmen
• PO BOX 238 Yonkers, NY 10704

UNICEF Yemen: Yousra's Inspiring Journey Back to Education

At just 12 years old, Yousra was married and became a mother by the age of 13, forced to abandon her education due to conflict in Yemen. Thanks to UNICEF Yemen's support, Yousra and 40,000 other out-of-school children are reclaiming their education. Today, Yousra is back in school with her daughters, attending basic literacy and numeracy classes as she works towards rejoining formal education. Witness her remarkable journey in this powerful video . 

@UNICEFYemen

Education in Yemen

Education in Yemen has always been a top priority by the government. In fact, the development of the country’s education sector for the past decade received an average of 14 – 20% from total government expenditures. Then in year 2000, the government even earmarked 32.8% to educate the population. However, despite this thrust towards having an educated population, the ranking of the country remains low as the 2006 human development index figures showed that Yemen got a ranking of 150th out of 177 countries. 

The government actually has a compulsory free education program for children aged 6 to 14 but an enrolment rate of only 46% of eligible children actually attended school. Of that 46%, only 30% of eligible girls were able to avail of the government’s program. Aside from enrolment penetration, another lingering problem of Yemen’s educational sector is the inadequateness of infrastructures (schools and classrooms) and lack of teachers are also among those considered as stumbling blocks in Yemen’s road to zero illiteracy rate. Basically, the school system of Yemen consists of Basic Education, Secondary Education and College.

The Basic Education is free and open to all 6-14 years of age. The government has even instituted a school feeding program. This program aims to feed children from poor families.

Secondary School in Yemen is somewhat unique as the first year curriculum is the same for everyone else. After the first year, students will have to choose if they want a scientific or literary path. Of course, that means more math and science subjects for those scientifically inclined while the literary inclined would get more subjects relating to the arts, writing and social studies.

After going through Secondary School, a student may now enroll in any of the country’s universities. Right now, there are about 7 public universities and 5 private ones. Education in Yemen is still not good in terms of progress relative to its expenditures and also in terms of implementation of its programs. If the government is really serious in avoiding an economic mess by 2017, one thing that can really help them avert a crisis is through better quality of education.

Textbooks and Reading Materials - Yemen

Request for Bids

Textbooks and Reading Materials

Purchaser: Save the Children International

Project: Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Project

Contract title: Printing of Education & Learning Materials (School textbook and teacher guidelines)

Country: Republic of Yemen

Loan No. /Credit No. / Grant No.: TF0B6907

RFB No: REAL-SCI-CO-2024-001

Issued on: 01-July-2024

• The Save the Children International has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the Restoring Education and Learning in Yemen and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract for Printing of Education & Learning Materials (School textbook and teacher guidelines . Bidding process will be governed by the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations.”
• The Save the Children International now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for Printing of Education & Learning Materials for the first textbook and teaching materials for grades (1-3) as per the tables below .

• Bidding will be conducted through international competitive procurement using a Request for Bids (RFB) as specified in the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” dated July 2016, revised September 2023 (“Procurement Regulations”) and is open to all eligible Bidders as defined in the Procurement Regulations.
• Interested eligible Bidders may obtain further information from [ Save the Children International – Jordan,  Ghassan Khzouz, Email: [email protected] ] and inspect the bidding document during office hours [Sunday-Thursday 0900 to 1700 hours] at the address given below in paragraph 9
• The bidding document in English may be purchased by interested Bidders upon the submission of a written application (including the trading/business certificate) to the address below and no payment to acquire the bidding document is required. The document will be sent by email upon request and validation of the business/trading license of similar category.
• Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 29 July 2024, 11:00 am (Jordan Local Time). Electronic Bidding will not be permitted. Late Bids will be rejected. Bids will be publicly opened in the presence of the Bidders’ designated representatives and anyone who chooses to attend at the address below [Amman, SCI Office, 29 July 2024, 11:00 am] for those who want to participate online, they shall request officially to register to receive the meeting link 24 hours before the bid opening, to the same email address in paragraph 9
• All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security of 50,0000 USD .
• Attention is drawn to the Procurement Regulations requiring the Borrower to disclose information on the successful bidder’s beneficial ownership, as part of the Contract Award Notice, using the Beneficial Ownership Disclosure Form as included in the bidding document.
• The address(es) referred to above is (are):

Save the Children International

Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Regional Office

Iben Al Fared Street – Al Abdali, Amman - Jordan

Att. Ghassan Khzouz

Mobile: +962 777991992

Email: [email protected]

10.   INTRODUCTION TO SAVE THE CHILDREN

SCI is the world’s leading independent organization for children. We save children’s lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfil their potential. We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

Our Vision – a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.

Our Mission – to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

We do this through a range of initiatives and programs, to:

• Provide lifesaving supplies & emotional support for children caught up in disasters (e.g. floods, famine & wars).
• Campaign for long term change to improve children’s lives.
• Improve children’s access to the food and healthcare they need to survive.
• Secure a good quality education for the children who need it most.
• Protect the world’s most vulnerable children, including those separated from their families because of war, natural disasters, extreme poverty or exploitation.
• Work with families to help them out of the poverty cycle so they can feed and support their children.

For more information on the work we undertake and recent achievements, visit our website .

11.   VETTING

Successful bidders must be successfully vetted. This involves checking bidders and key personnel against Global Watch Lists, Enhanced Due Diligence Lists and Politically Exposed Persons Lists.

The vetting of bidders will be completed after the award decision and prior to any contract being signed, or orders placed. If any information provided by the Bidder throughout the tender process is proved to be incorrect during the vetting process (or at any other point), SCI may withdraw

12.    TIMESCALES

The above dates are for indicative purposes only and are subject to change.

Contact Information

[email protected]

Submissions:

Save the Children International Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe Regional Office Iben Al Fared Street – Al Abdali, Amman - Jordan Att. Ghassan Khzouz

REAL-SCI-CO-2024-001

Opening date: 1 July 2024

Closing date: 29 July 2024

1 July 2024

29 July 2024

Professional and Business Services

• LATEST INFORMATIONS

• High contrast
• Representative
• Where we work
• Work with us
• PRESS CENTRE

Search UNICEF

Education disrupted, impact of the conflict on children’s education in yemen.

• Available in:

This is the sixth year since the current conflict spiraled resulting in untold suffering of children. This presents an opportunity to show the world the real cost of the war on children, their lives, potentials and future. Through this report and a series of products, UNICEF Yemen highlights the scale of the impact of the conflict on education in Yemen and make a call on behalf of the children of Yemen and their teachers for parties to the conflict and the international community to prioritize the education of children so Yemen’s future is maintained.

Files available for download

Related topics, more to explore.

10,400children and teachers in Yemen to benefit from multi-sectoral education response with EU funding

Transforming Education Challenges into Opportunities

Teachers’ training in Marib helps them meet the specific needs of displaced children

School Bags Spark Ambitions of Yemen’s Children

Education can transform lives and build a brighter future for the nation

9 years into the conflict in Yemen, millions of children are malnourished and stunted

More From Forbes

College essays that worked and how yours can too.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS - JULY 08: A view of Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University on ... [+] July 08, 2020 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have sued the Trump administration for its decision to strip international college students of their visas if all of their courses are held online. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

The college essay is a pivotal piece of the college application showcasing your individuality and differentiated outlook to admissions officers. What makes an essay truly shine? Let’s dive into the words behind three standout essays highlighted by university websites and a school newspaper's brand studio so you can get into the right mindset for crafting your own narrative.

Embracing Differences: Finding Strength In Uniqueness

Essay Excerpt: ‘Bra Shopping ’ (Harvard)

Featured by the Harvard Crimson Brand Studio , Orlee's essay recounts a student's humorous and insightful experience of bra shopping with her grandmother, weaving in her unique family dynamics and challenges at her prestigious school.

What Works:

• Humor and Honesty: The student's humor makes the essay enjoyable to read, while her honesty about her challenges adds depth.
• Self-Awareness: She demonstrates a strong sense of self-awareness, embracing her uniqueness rather than trying to fit in.
• Resilience: Her narrative highlights resilience and the ability to find strength in differences.

For Your Essay : To write an essay that embraces your uniqueness, start by identifying a quirky or challenging experience that reflects who a key insight into your experience. Think about how this experience has shaped your perspective and character. Use humor and honesty to bring your story to life, and focus on how you have embraced your differences to become stronger and more resilient.

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024, finding connections: humor and self-reflection.

Essay: ‘Brood X Cicadas ’ (Hamilton College)

As an example on Hamilton's admissions website, Nicholas writes about the cicadas swarming his hometown every 17 years and draws a parallel between their emergence and his own transition to college life. He uses humor and self-reflection to create a relatable and engaging narrative.

• Humor: Nicholas uses humor to make his essay entertaining and memorable. His witty comparisons between himself and cicadas add a unique twist.
• Self-Reflection: By comparing his life to the cicadas’, he reflects on his own growth and readiness for change.
• Relatability: His narrative about facing new experiences and challenges resonates with readers who have undergone similar transitions.

For Your Essay: To infuse humor and self-reflection into your essay, start by identifying an ordinary experience or object and think about how it relates to your life. Write down funny or insightful observations about this connection. Use humor to make your essay more engaging, but ensure it still conveys meaningful self-reflection. This balance can make your essay both entertaining and profound.

Persistence and Multicultural Identity: Life Lessons From Tortilla Making

Essay: ‘ Facing The Hot Griddle ’ (Johns Hopkins University)

In this essay published by Hopkins Insider, Rocio uses the process of making tortillas to explore her multicultural identity and the challenges she has faced. Her story beautifully weaves together her Guatemalan heritage and her experiences growing up in the United States.

• Metaphor and Symbolism: The process of making tortillas becomes a powerful metaphor for the student’s journey and struggles. The symbolism of the masa harina and water mixing parallels her blending of cultural identities.
• Personal Growth: The essay highlights her perseverance and adaptability, qualities that are crucial for success in college.
• Cultural Insight: She provides a rich, personal insight into her multicultural background, making her story unique and compelling.

For Your Essay: To write an essay that explores your identity through a metaphor, start by thinking about an activity or tradition that holds significant meaning for you. Consider how this activity relates to your life experiences and personal growth. Use detailed descriptions to bring the activity to life and draw connections between the process and your own journey. Reflect on the lessons you've learned and how they've shaped your identity.

A winning college essay isn’t simply about parading your best accomplishment or dramatizing your challenges. It’s not a contest for which student is the most original or entertaining. Rather, the essay is a chance for you to showcase your authenticity, passion, resilience, social awareness, and intellectual vitality . By sharing genuine stories and insights, you can create an essay that resonates with admissions committees and highlights your unique qualities.

For you to have the best possible essay, mindset is key. Here’s how to get into the zone:

• Reflect Deeply: Spend time thinking about your experiences, challenges, and passions. Journaling can help you uncover deep insights.
• Discuss and Share: Talking about your stories with friends, family, or mentors can provide new perspectives and emotional clarity.
• Immerse Yourself: Engage in activities that you are passionate about to reignite the feelings and memories associated with them.
• Draft Freely: Don’t worry about perfection on the first try. Write freely and honestly, then refine your narrative.

The secret to a standout college essay lies in its authenticity, depth, and emotional resonance. By learning from these successful examples and getting into the right mindset, you can craft an essay that not only stands out but also provides a meaningful insight into who you are. Remember, your essay is your story—make it a piece of writing that you will always be proud of.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

What students can expect after Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action

Big changes are coming to how elite colleges choose future students – and how those applicants vie for coveted seats. 

A Supreme Court ruling Thursday concluded that Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the 14th amendment to the Constitution by considering students’ race as one of many factors in admissions decisions. This form of affirmative action, which is common at the country’s several hundred highly selective institutions, is no longer allowed. 

Students of color say the decision is devastating and sharply changes their outlook on the admissions process. “It made me wonder immediately, how is this going to affect my senior year?” said Rikka Dimalanta, 17, who will be a senior this fall in Los Angeles. “If our identity as students isn’t going to be taken into account, what else am I supposed to put on my application?”

There are other ways for colleges to pursue diversity goals, however, and for students of color to access those institutions, including in some cases by bringing race into the conversation.

Here’s an early look at how college admissions could change. 

For most colleges, business as usual

Though Thursday's decision is historic, it’s important to note it won't mean much for many colleges. Of the more than 1,000 institutions that use the Common Application , just 70 admit fewer than 25% of their applicants, CEO Jenny Rickard has said . 

And plenty of schools are in one of the states that banned affirmative action in college admissions before this week's ruling, including Arizona, California, Florida and Michigan. Arizona State University quickly declared Thursday that it was one of those institutions that won’t be affected. It “will have no impact on the diversity of the Arizona State University student body or ASU’s commitment to having a student body which reflects the population of the State of Arizona,” the university said.

Will affirmative action ruling matter? Thousands of college and universities already accept almost everyone

How the decision affects college admissions tests, essays

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of highly selective colleges began making standardized test scores an optional part of applications . One of the hopes was that it would lead to a more diverse student population. Then when the pandemic hit, test-optional policies became the default for logistical reasons : As of this past spring, submitting SAT or ACT scores was still optional at most schools.

Although studies have shown the shift from these tests has meant only small changes in what the student body looks like at small, private institutions, experts predict the court's affirmative action decision will cement those policies. And that could mean more emphasis on personal statements and essays – an area where race often comes up. 

Observers have focused on one line in particular from the ruling : “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as prohibiting universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”  

But the justices also wrote – directly challenging the dissent – “universities may not simply establish through application essays or other means the regime we hold unlawful today.”

“For any students my age – myself included – this decision doesn’t prevent us from talking about the way that race has impacted us," said Aina Marzia, 17, a rising senior in El Paso, Texas, who was infuriated by the court's decision. "It’s just that we don’t have a box to check for our application this fall.”

Anurima Bhargava, a civil rights lawyer who formerly served with the U.S. Department of Justice, urged future applicants not to shy away from highlighting their racial identity when applying to colleges.

“It’s not that diversity isn’t something that universities can pursue. It’s not that you can’t tell your own stories, stories of your racial experiences, about your identity or your background,” she said in a discussion Thursday hosted by Whiteboard Advisors, a research and consulting firm. “How universities are going to take account of that is still going to be a question for them, but it’s not that students can’t tell those kinds of stories.”

Jeff Selingo, a higher education journalist who spent a year behind the scenes with college admissions officers , said one next step for those gatekeepers is to deliberate what to make of students whose essays deal with race.  

What to know: A breakdown of the Supreme Court's affirmative action decision

What does this mean for legacy admissions?

Another item for college officials to deliberate: legacy admissions, the practice of giving preference to applicants whose family members attended the institution. 

Richard Kahlenberg, a progressive scholar who served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the Harvard and UNC cases, said he believes at least some elite colleges will abandon the practice now that they can no longer consider race in admissions.

“If our identity as students isn’t going to be taken into account, what else am I supposed to put on my application?” Rikka Dimalanta, who will be a high school senior this fall in Los Angeles

Before, he said, affirmative action allowed them to achieve some racial diversity without necessarily ensuring their campuses were socioeconomically diverse as well. One study found more than half of Harvard’s students, however racially diverse, for example, came from the top 10% of the country’s income distribution. Another analysis found that 43% of Harvard’s white admits in 2019 were legacy students, recruited athletes, children of faculty and staff or on applicants affiliated with donors.

Before, he said, affirmative action allowed them to achieve racial diversity without necessarily ensuring their campuses were socioeconomically diverse as well. One study found more than half of Harvard’s students, for example, came from the top 10% of the country’s income distribution. Another analysis found that 43% of Harvard’s white admissions in 2019 were legacy students, recruited athletes, children of faculty and staff or on applicants affiliated with donors.

Some highly selective universities, including in states that banned affirmative action, already had stopped practicing legacy admissions. They include the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Los Angeles. Elsewhere, Texas A&M University and the University of Georgia also have ended the practice.

In remarks denouncing the court's ruling, President Joe Biden also said he is asking the federal Education Department "to analyze what practices help build a more inclusive and diverse student bodies and what practices hold that back, practices like legacy admissions and other systems that expand privilege instead of opportunity."

A shift to using affirmative action – in recruitment

The onus will be on colleges to recruit from a wide range of communities at the front end of the admissions process, said Forrest Stuart, the vice president of enrollment management at Lafayette College.

“This is really about building a diverse applicant pool,” Stuart said. “There’s nothing in the decision that I’ve seen that says you cannot ensure that the applicant pool is representative of all backgrounds.” Lafayette, a small private college in Pennsylvania where about a quarter of students are people of color, has under Stuart’s leadership partnered with community-based organizations to ensure students from underrepresented backgrounds put their names in the hat as well.

“It really helps because you’re then choosing from a broader base,” said Stuart, who expects this affirmative action-esque approach to recruitment to gain more popularity as colleges work to ensure diversity on campus without considering race in the actual admissions process. “If your net is cast wide enough and broad enough on the building of your applicant pool, I don’t think it’s going to be as difficult for us – at least at Lafayette.” 

Biden also encouraged colleges to build a diverse class by factoring in applicants' family’s income and where they grew up and to consider students’ experiences with hardship or discrimination, including racial discrimination.

Counselors: Colleges need to send a new message to students

Without proactive measures like diversifying applicant pools, educators worry, many students who would’ve applied in an affirmative action world will decide it’s not worth it. 

At the American School Counselors Association, Executive Director Jill Cook has been fielding lots of questions. Many counselors are worried students of color will decide against applying to their reach or dream schools because they don’t think they’ll get in. What if some students choose not to apply at all, perceiving higher education to no longer be a welcoming place? (Legislation seeking to ban diversity, equity and inclusion programs at colleges can make the campuses seem even less inviting.)

There are also high school counselors who worry about the reverse – students overexerting themselves and applying to too many schools because they fear their chances of getting in are reduced after the court’s ruling.

David Hawkins, chief education and policy officer for the National Association for College Admission Counseling, said his group will continue to urge high school counselors to push students to meet with admissions officers at their schools of interest.

“Colleges are looking for a diverse group of students, and the decision should not discourage students at all from applying,” Hawkins said. “We will be swimming against the tide, and it can be discouraging. But we also want to ensure that students know it won’t change the fact that colleges are looking for them.”

Some students may take that message to the extreme. 

Allen Koh, founder/CEO of Cardinal Education, an educational consulting firm in California catering to the very affluent, said he has seen mostly white clients move to states like Montana and Wyoming to pursue a perceived geographic advantage based on what they see as a desire on the part of elite universities to boast student enrollment from all 50 states.

“Harvard calls these states ‘sparse country,’ and different universities call them different things,” he said. “But if you think about the sparse population that ‘sparse country’ implies, the pool of students you’re going after isn’t very large. So they actually get a significant advantage.”

Can anything really replace what the court struck down?

Probably not.

Education experts say universities will likely become less diverse as a result of the ruling, and while the court nonetheless acknowledged the importance of diversity in higher education and left the door open for schools to achieve it through other measures, such efforts could take years to see results – if at all.

“Those measures will be expensive and take years to bear fruit,” said Jennifer McAward, an associate professor of law at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. “In the meantime, we are likely to see a substantial drop in racial diversity at highly selective universities.”

Some point to California, where voters in 1996 passed a proposition prohibiting race-conscious college admissions. Despite numerous outreach efforts, University of California system officials have been unable to restore enrollment to levels of diversity representative of the state.

More: Ahead of Supreme Court affirmative action case ruling: Do Harvard, UNC discriminate?

“The shortfall is especially apparent at UC’s most selective campuses,” they wrote in an amicus brief filed to the Supreme Court last summer, “where African American, Native American and Latinx students are underrepresented and widely report struggling with feelings of racial isolation.”

And even with race conscious admissions for years, Black enrollment in college has dropped nationwide over time . 

At elite colleges, admissions will always feel 'arbitrary'

According to Mitchell Chang, a UCLA chancellor and professor of higher education and organizational change and Asian American studies, the decision will do little to make college admissions seem more equitable. 

“There’s always going to be this sense that it’s unfair,” he said, pointing to the Ivy League and other elite schools that admit fewer than 10% of their students and enroll classes of just a few hundred people. “If we remove race-conscious admissions, it’s not like these institutions are going to accept more students. The numbers and percentages of winners will remain the same.

“Someone’s always going to be upset that they didn’t get admitted yet were highly qualified, because in many ways, when you’re trying to select between hyper-qualified people, the difference between getting in and rejected is almost arbitrary.”

Contact Alia Wong at (202) 507-2256 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at  @aliaemily .

Main Navigation

• Contact NeurIPS
• Code of Ethics
• Code of Conduct
• Create Profile
• Journal To Conference Track
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Proceedings
• Future Meetings
• Exhibitor Information
• Privacy Policy

Call for High School Projects

Machine learning for social impact .

The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2024) is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers in machine learning, neuroscience, statistics, optimization, computer vision, natural language processing, life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and other adjacent fields. 

This year, we invite high school students to submit research papers on the topic of machine learning for social impact.  A subset of finalists will be selected to present their projects virtually and will have their work spotlighted on the NeurIPS homepage.  In addition, the leading authors of up to five winning projects will be invited to attend an award ceremony at NeurIPS 2024 in Vancouver.  

Each submission must describe independent work wholly performed by the high school student authors.  We expect each submission to highlight either demonstrated positive social impact or the potential for positive social impact using machine learning. Application areas may include but are not limited to the following:

• Agriculture
• Climate change
• Homelessness
• Food security
• Mental health
• Water quality

Authors will be asked to confirm that their submissions accord with the NeurIPS code of conduct and the NeurIPS code of ethics .

Submission deadline: All submissions must be made by June 27th, 4pm EDT. The system will close after this time, and no further submissions will be possible.

We are using OpenReview to manage submissions. Papers should be submitted here . When registering for a new OpenReview profile, you can type in the name of your high school as the institution and “high school student” as the role. Submission will open June 1st.  Submissions under review will be visible only to their assigned program committee. We will not be soliciting comments from the general public during the reviewing process. Anyone who plans to submit a paper as an author or a co-author will need to create (or update) their OpenReview profile by the full paper submission deadline. 

Formatting instructions:   All submissions must be in PDF format. Submissions are limited to four content pages , including all figures and tables; additional pages containing only references are allowed. You must format your submission using the NeurIPS 2024 HighSchool style file using the “preprint” option for non-anonymous submission. The maximum file size for submissions is 50MB. Submissions that violate the NeurIPS style (e.g., by decreasing margins or font sizes) or page limits may be rejected without further review.  Papers may be rejected without consideration of their merits if they fail to meet the submission requirements, as described in this document. 

Mentorship and collaboration:  The submitted research can be a component of a larger research endeavor involving external collaborators, but the submission should describe only the authors’ contributions.  The authors can also have external mentors but must disclose the nature of the mentorship.  At the time of submission, the authors will be asked to describe the involvement of any mentors or external collaborators and to distinguish mentor and collaborator contributions from those of the authors.  In addition, the authors may (optionally) include an acknowledgements section acknowledging the contributions of others following the content sections of the submission. The acknowledgements section will not count toward the submission page limit.

Proof of high school attendance: Submitting authors will also be asked to upload a signed letter, on school letterhead, from each author’s high school confirming that the author was enrolled in high school during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supplementary artifacts:   In their four content pages, authors may link  to supplementary artifacts including videos, working demonstrations, digital posters, websites, or source code.  For source code, this can be done by, for example, uploading the code to a free  https://github.com/  repository and then including a hyperlink to that repository in the submitted paper. Data files that are not too large can also be uploaded to a GitHub repository, and larger files can be uploaded to a free research data repository like  https://dataverse.harvard.edu/ . Please do not link to additional text. All such supplementary material should be wholly created by the authors and should directly support the submission content. 

Review process:   Each submission will be reviewed by anonymous referees. The authors, however, should not be anonymous. No written feedback will be provided to the authors.  

Use of Large Language Models (LLMs): We welcome authors to use any tool that is suitable for preparing high-quality papers and research. However, we ask authors to keep in mind two important criteria. First, we expect papers to fully describe their methodology.  Any tool that is important to that methodology, including the use of LLMs, should be described also. For example, authors should mention tools (including LLMs) that were used for data processing or filtering, visualization, facilitating or running experiments, or proving theorems. It may also be advisable to describe the use of LLMs in implementing the method (if this corresponds to an important, original, or non-standard component of the approach). Second, authors are responsible for the entire content of the paper, including all text and figures, so while authors are welcome to use any tool they wish for writing the paper, they must ensure that all text is correct and original.

Dual submissions:  Submissions that are substantially similar to papers that the authors have previously published or submitted in parallel to other peer-reviewed venues with proceedings or journals may not be submitted to NeurIPS. Papers previously presented at workshops or science fairs are permitted, so long as they did not appear in a conference proceedings (e.g., CVPRW proceedings), a journal, or a book.  However, submissions will not be published in formal proceedings, so work submitted to this call may be published elsewhere in the future. Plagiarism is prohibited by the NeurIPS Code of Conduct .

Contact:   [email protected]

Advertisement

Supported by

‘It’s All Happening Again.’ The Supply Chain Is Under Strain.

As Houthi rebels intensify strikes on vessels headed for the Suez Canal, global shipping prices are soaring, raising fears of product shortages and delays.

• Share full article

By Peter S. Goodman

Peter Goodman has reported extensively on the global supply chain since the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stephanie Loomis had hoped that the chaos besieging the global supply chain was subsiding. The floating traffic jams off ports . The multiplying costs of moving freight . The resulting shortages of goods . All of this had seemed like an unpleasant memory confined to the Covid-19 pandemic.

No such luck.

As head of ocean freight for the Americas at Rhenus Logistics, a company based in Germany, Ms. Loomis spends her days negotiating with international shipping carriers on behalf of clients moving products and parts around the globe. Over the last few months, she has watched cargo prices soar as a series of disturbances have roiled the seas.

Late last year, Houthi rebels in Yemen began firing on ships entering the Red Sea en route to the Suez Canal , a vital artery for vessels moving between Asia, Europe and the East Coast of the United States. That prompted ships to avoid the waterway, instead moving the long way around Africa, lengthening their journeys by as much as two weeks.

Then, a severe drought in Central America dropped water levels in the Panama Canal , forcing authorities to limit the number of ships passing through that crucial conduit for international trade.

In recent weeks, dockworkers have threatened to strike on the East and Gulf Coasts of the United States, while longshore workers at German ports have halted shifts in pursuit of better pay. Rail workers in Canada are poised to walk off the job, imperiling cargo moving across North America and threatening backups at major ports like Vancouver, British Columbia.

The intensifying upheaval in shipping is prompting carriers to lift rates while raising the specter of waterborne gridlock that could again threaten retailers with product shortages during the make-or-break holiday shopping season. The disruption could also exacerbate inflation, a source of economic anxiety animating the American presidential election.

We are having trouble retrieving the article content.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and  log into  your Times account, or  subscribe  for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber?  Log in .

Want all of The Times?  Subscribe .