Arabic version: انقسام التعليم في اليمن يهدد خطط الطلاب

According to Al Jazeera, Yemen’s parallel education systems are leaving students uncertain whether their school certificates will be recognised. The Aden-based Education Ministry issued a circular in late July suspending authentication of some certificates from Houthi-controlled areas, saying in early August that it could not access records needed to verify certain documents.

Bashar Mohammed, 19, completed high school in Sanaa and has enrolled in English-language courses in hopes of winning a scholarship for undergraduate study abroad. But he fears authorities in Aden will not validate his credentials. Yemeni students seeking to study overseas need certificates authenticated by the Foreign Ministry, a process that requires confirmation from the Education Ministry that the document is genuine.

Education Minister Adel al-Abadi said earlier this month that the suspension does not cover every academic year because records remain available for some periods. However, Ayman Ahmed, an 18-year-old graduate from Houthi-controlled Raymah province, said students and parents have little power to press authorities to resolve missing data. He said education officials in Sanaa and Aden should coordinate so certificates do not become victims of their dispute.

Yemen has been divided between the internationally recognised government and the Houthis since war began more than a decade ago. Since 2015, the rival authorities have adopted separate policies, including different school calendars, curricula and high school examination formats. Mohammed Abdu, a sociology researcher at Taiz University, said the two systems have “zero coordination” and that students cannot avoid the consequences.

The United Nations says about 2,800 schools have been destroyed, damaged or used for non-educational purposes during the war. More than 6.6 million children were out of school in Yemen this year, about one-third of school-age children. Aref Naji Ali, an adviser with the Education Ministry in Aden, said education should not become another arena for political division, while Sanaa teacher Ammar Amri warned that students’ opportunities to study abroad could be lost.