The education system in areas under Houthi control is facing a fresh wave of criticism as the group launched the new academic year during the summer. The Houthis are accused of limiting the distribution of school supplies and cash assistance to their supporters and to the families of fighters killed or missing on the front lines, while also requiring private schools to grant tuition exemptions to the same groups.
The developments come as debate continues over the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities, with education experts questioning the unusually high pass rates and raising concerns about the impact of these policies on educational equity and the future of education in Yemen.
The controversy unfolds as millions of Yemeni families continue to face worsening economic conditions, leaving many unable to afford even the most basic educational expenses, including tuition fees, school bags, textbooks, and uniforms, amid declining purchasing power and widening poverty caused by the war and the economic crisis.
According to education sources, the Houthi-run so-called Zakat Authority oversaw the distribution of school bags and cash assistance through supervisors affiliated with the group. The sources said the mechanism prioritized the families of Houthi fighters and supporters, while excluding thousands of impoverished families unable to provide basic school supplies for their children.
The distribution process sparked widespread frustration among parents and education advocates, who argued that educational assistance should be allocated according to humanitarian need rather than political considerations or organizational affiliation.
Inequality
"Ibrahim," a parent in the Houthi-held Yemeni capital, Sanaa, told Asharq Al-Awsat that none of his three children received any educational support despite being registered on lists of families in need, while he witnessed school bags and uniforms being distributed to families linked to the group.
He said his family was living under severe financial hardship, yet their needs had been ignored. He argued that if charitable initiatives had supervised the distribution of the aid themselves, some of it would have reached his children.
Other parents in rural areas around Sanaa voiced similar complaints, saying the cost of preparing their children for the new school year had exceeded their financial means, while assistance remained limited to specific groups, deepening their sense of inequality.
Meanwhile, humanitarian sources said Houthi authorities responsible for aid operations and the Zakat Authority had recently confiscated quantities of school bags, notebooks, pens, uniforms, and cash that charitable initiatives had allocated to support poor students at the start of the academic year.
Education sources also said the Houthis had required private schools to waive tuition fees this year for the children of their supporters, as well as the families of fighters killed or captured on the front lines, without providing any compensation to the schools.
The principal of a private school on the outskirts of Sanaa, who requested anonymity, said the administration had no choice but to comply with the directives for fear of punitive measures. She noted that the exemptions did not extend to other students from the poorest families, despite their urgent need for assistance.
Education experts warned that imposing additional financial burdens on private schools without compensation threatens their financial stability and undermines their ability to continue providing educational services under the country's difficult economic conditions.
Secondary School Results Raise Questions
Alongside the controversy over aid distribution, the secondary school examination results announced by the Houthi authorities have prompted widespread debate within education circles after reporting high pass rates and scores exceeding 99 percent for a number of students, despite years of decline in the education sector during the war.
The Education Ministry in the unrecognized Houthi administration announced an overall pass rate of 88.12 percent among more than 210,000 students who sat the examinations. Education specialists said the figure raises questions given the reality facing schools, which continue to suffer from teacher shortages, unpaid salaries, limited resources, and a decline in educational standards.
Education experts believe the conditions facing the education sector make it difficult to explain such a sharp increase in pass rates without releasing data detailing the grading and assessment process in a way that would strengthen confidence in the results and dispel the doubts surrounding them.
Several teachers also expressed surprise at the high scores, saying the level of academic achievement they observed throughout the school year did not correspond with the announced results, particularly in light of repeated student absences and disruptions to the education process.
Cheating Allegations
Yemeni education sources say the high pass rates recorded in Houthi-controlled areas do not reflect an improvement in educational standards. Instead, they attribute the results to widespread cases of organized cheating at some examination centers, along with the circulation of answer keys before and during the exams, which they consider a primary factor behind the higher scores.
Education activists also accused the Houthis of failing around 25,000 male secondary school students this year, claiming the move was part of a policy aimed at pressuring students and encouraging them to join the group's ranks in exchange for better chances of passing. The Houthi authorities have not commented on the allegations.
Several teachers said they had documented irregularities at some examination centers, including weak oversight and allowing certain students to receive assistance while taking the exams. They said such practices undermine the credibility of the examination process and compromise the fairness of student assessment.
In one case, a student from Sanaa said he was surprised to receive a score of 72 percent despite missing most of the school year because he had to work to help support his family. He said he attended only the final examinations, prompting him to question how the results had been calculated.
Meanwhile, a number of high-achieving students expressed dissatisfaction with the announced results, calling for greater transparency in grading procedures and the publication of detailed marks to safeguard students' rights and strengthen confidence in the secondary school certificate.
