The Repercussions of Armed Conflict on the Quality of Public Education in the City of Taiz During the Period (2015 - 2025)

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of the ongoing armed conflict in Yemen on the quality of public education in the city of Taiz, which is one of the most affected regions in the period 2015-2025. The study used a historical approach to trace the evolution of the conflict and a descriptive-analytical approach to interpret the field data collected through in-depth interviews. The study sample included 20 participants who were purposively selected from the education sector in the three districts of Taiz City (Al-Mudhaffar, Al-Qahirah, and Salah).

The results indicated deep impacts across all parts of the education system. The educational infrastructure was widely damaged, with many schools partially or destroyed. There were also acute shortages of educational resources, equipment, and textbooks. The suspension of teachers’ salaries since 2016 and the displacement of many teachers have led to large numbers of teachers leaving the profession, deepening the shortage of qualified teaching staff. The students’ academic achievement and learning outcomes were negatively affected due to the extensive use of substitute and volunteer teachers who were not trained. The study also revealed that the students had serious psychological and behavioral problems which affected their attendance and motivation to learn in school. Moreover, economic shocks and financial stress affected the performance of teachers and their relationships with students in education.

Furthermore, the armed conflict has led to a decline in the quality of education in Taiz City, due to a combination of structural, material, human, and psychological factors.