School Doors: Bringing out-of-school children back into the classroom in Yemen

The program operates in Al Dhale’e (Year 1-3), Sana’a, and Hodeidah (Year 2-3) governorates. The project period spans from August 15, 2018, to August 14, 2021. During the reporting period, clashes between Houthi forces and Pro-Hadi’s government forces intensified in Al-Dhale’e governorate, particularly in Qatabah district. As a result, all activities in Qatabah district were suspended, affecting 702 out-of-school children (OOSC). The IRC held a follow-up meeting to push forward sub-agreement negotiations with the Ministry of Education, including responding to key questions and addressing raised requests. The IRC team reactivated 17 out of 20 targeted Father and Mother Councils (FMCs) in Al Dhale’e governorate. FMCs trainings were conducted for six schools, targeting 114 FMC members. A total of 1,440 children (963 boys, 477 girls) were enrolled in remedial classes, starting on April 14 in Al Dhale’e, Al-Azareq, and Al-Shuaib districts. The remedial classes were conducted based on the Annual Status of Education report test (ASER) in literacy and numeracy, aimed at improving students' writing and arithmetic skills prior to the beginning of the new school year. The IRC distributed 16 whiteboards to 16 different locations in Al-Dhale’e, Al-Shuaib, and Al-Azareq districts. However, due to the escalation of conflict in Al Dhale’e, especially in Qatabah district, 702 OOSC children were affected due to the suspension of activities. The IRC will work in collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE) technical advisors to contextualize and finalize parenting materials, which is anticipated to take 4-6 weeks before the training commences. The IRC Education team is working to review and revise the IRC tools of Organisational Capacity Assessment in preparation for conducting the assessment in June. Community Education Facilitators have been identified and their contracts are being processed by the team. The IRC has selected key indicators to report for updates on a monthly basis, including the number of OOSC enrolled in primary schools and community-based learning spaces, teacher attendance rate, and the number of FMC members successfully completing training. The program has faced challenges, including the ongoing conflict in Al Dhale’e governorate, which has affected project activities in some locations. Overall, 41% of the schools within the governorate suspended their activities, with six schools in Qatabah and one school in Al-Dhale’e. Community-based classes are in dire need of rehabilitation, and the IRC is reviewing options for how to approach the rehabilitation work as part of a wider discussion with MoE and regional authorities. The IRC has reported progress in several areas, including the reactivation of FMCs, the enrollment of OOSC in remedial classes, and the distribution of whiteboards. However, the conflict in Al Dhale’e has affected the program's activities, and the IRC is working to address these challenges and ensure the continuation of the program.