Two million Yemeni children have been deprived of an education since the Iran-backed Houthi militias staged their coup against legitimate authorities four years ago, estimated Education Minister Abdullah Lemmles.
He warned that Yemen was on the verge of famine, saying 22.2 million people need basic support and 1.8 million children under the age of five and 1.1 mothers and pregnant women suffer from malnutrition.
He made his remarks during a Tunisia-hosted meeting on supporting education and comprehensive stability in the Middle East and North Africa region.
The Houthi war has had devastating effects on the education sector in Yemen, continued the minister.
Some 3,600 schools have been shut since the eruption of the war, leaving 1.9 million children without an education, he added.
Some 2000 elementary and secondary schools have been damaged or seized by the Houthis for their war efforts, he stated.
Moreover, 67 percent of schools have not paid salaries for their teachers in nearly two years.
The collapse of the education sector could leave irreparable damage in the country, warned Lemmles.
The government will exert efforts with the World Food Program and other partners in determining the strengths and weaknesses of the school food programs by bolstering dialogue over general policies, he added.
The legitimate government is keen on implementing school food programs in cooperation with the WFP and other members of the international community, he revealed.
Some 123,000 children in Aden, Lahj, Saada, Sanaa, Shabwa and Taiz benefited from the resumption of the school food program in April, Lemmles stated.
The government is seeking to expand the program to help 600,000 students and 16 provinces.
