As part of their response to the educational crisis in countries in conflict, and in the framework of their support for Arab States to meet the educational needs of children in times of crisis, UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States (UNESCO Beirut) and King Salman Center Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) have partnered together to implement three educational projects in Yemen aimed at expanding learning opportunities for out-of-school children.
The projects, labelled “I Have the Right to Develop”, “My Right to Learn”, and “Education is Peace”, which KSRelief generously funds and contributes to implementing together with UNESCO Beirut, aim to provide out-of-school and at-risk children in Yemen with learning opportunities through catch-up and alternative education programmes, and to develop educational resources related to SDG4. It is worth noting that these projects were designed based on consultations and mutual visits between UNESCO Beirut, the Community Support Department at KSRelief, and Yemen’s Ministry of Education, and with the participation of experts from Saudi Arabia and from Arab States who work on the design and development of educational resources about catch-up programmes and multi-grade classrooms.
The projects are based on UNESCO’s “Strategic Framework for Education in Emergencies in the Arab States (2018-2021)”, developed in consultation and with the participation of KSRelief, which aims to support Member States in the Arab region to develop education systems that are more resilient and responsive in the face of conflict, and to ensure that education is maintained during emergency, conflict and post-conflict situations. In a major development, Yemen’s Ministry of Education has recently issued two ministerial decisions announcing the institutionalization of second-chance, catch-up education programmes for out-of-school children, and the establishment of the Higher Council for the Facilitation of Remedial Education at the Ministry. These decisions come as a result of UNESCO Beirut’s and KSRelief’s advocacy efforts for the recognition of alternative educational pathways in Yemen.
The three projects are as follows:
Catch-up education programme for Yemeni children (“My Right to Learn”):
The project aims to provide alternative educational opportunities for out-of-school children aged 7-14 through innovative and flexible models, such as one-classroom schools and remedial summer support programmes.
Yemeni National Capacity-Building project to create Alternative Pathways for Out-Of-School and At-Risk Children (“I Have the Right to Develop”):
The project aims to strengthen Yemen’s national education capacities in order to reach out-of-school children and those at risk of dropping out, and to reinforce national capacities in the field of education for peace.
“Education is Peace”:
It aims to develop accelerated educational content and resources that promote the principles of social cohesion, citizenship, peace, and prevent violent extremism, as well as to design and develop educational fora and regional research network in the field of flexible learning and social cohesion. This project is in the framework of a broader KSRelief’s regional project aimed at promoting peace in the Arab States.