Audio: Despite enormous challenges, Yemen’s educators return to classroom
Yemen's ongoing civil war, cholera and coronavirus outbreak and a lack of paychecks have failed to deter intrepid educators from opening school doors this week.
It’s been almost six years since Thekra Al-Ghaffari has received a paycheck. As a vice principal at a secondary school in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa, Ghaffari is working to keep the school doors open despite enormous challenges.
Since the country’s civil war broke out in 2015, the school’s enrollment has dropped by 50%, Ghaffari said, and nearly 40% of teachers have left, as staff members have not been paid. A cholera outbreak in 2016 added to the pressure for teachers and students to stay home.
Now, the global coronavirus pandemic is further dwindling their numbers. The new school year begins on Saturday amid an ongoing civil war and global pandemic. Ghaffari expects enrollment and teaching staff to drop even further.
