SANAA, Yemen — Due to the lack of teachers and regular classes in his rural school in the Otomah district of Dhamar governorate, Mohammed Qaid decided in 2019 to disrupt his education and travel nearly 100 miles to work in the capital, Sanaa. Since then, the 16-year-old Yemeni has been selling blankets on the sidewalk at al-Hasaba flea market.
“I quit school in the sixth grade to work as a blanket seller,” Qaid told Al-Monitor. “Most of the teaching staff were [often] absent. Those who attended were not good. I was leaving the class as I attended it — without any new information.”
