Yemen’s Age Border: Education’s Role in Development
Yemen’s Age Border
Education’s Role in Development
Oscar Martinez
For years, Yemen has been crippled by severe political violence, a weak education system, and famine–serious issues that have only been exacerbated by the ongoing Yemeni Civil War. This conflict has not only prompted a massive refugee crisis and rising national death toll, but also created significant demographic shifts in Yemen. Demographically, the war has magnified divisions in the country’s age structure, with the majority of Yemen’s population being 24 years of age or younger.[i]
Although this pronounced demographic cleavage, or “age border,” may foreshadow decades of further instability as an unprepared generation brought up in conflict attempts to meet the challenges of the 21st century, it also provides the victors of the Yemeni Civil War with a critical opportunity for development. If post-conflict recovery efforts are centered around creating and sustaining educational opportunities for this young generation, Yemen can progress from a war-torn state to a developing nation.
The Yemeni Civil War
The Yemeni Civil War is rooted in conflict between three key actors: the Houthi, a Shiite rebel group backed by Iran; the Yemeni government, supported by Saudi Arabia; and the Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist group that is backed by the United Arab Emirates.
The conflict began in 2014, when the Houthi insurgents rebelled against President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi with demands for a new government.[ii] In order to thwart the spread of Iranian influence, Saudi Arabia formed a coalition of several Middle Eastern countries to fight against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.[iii] In 2019, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) emerged as another critical party to the conflict. Although the STC originally supported the Yemeni government, it later rebelled against it over legitimacy concerns and seized control of key coastal cities in the South. With the Houthis, the STC, the Yemeni government, and their respective allies all battling for control of Yemen, the conflict swept many Yemeni people into the fold of its carnage.[iv]
This violence has also disrupted learning across the country, threatening Yemen’s educational institutions and preventing many young Yemenis from gaining access to crucial academic resources. As a result of the conflict, 256 schools have been completely destroyed, over 1,500 have sustained damage from armed conflict, and several others have been occupied by armed groups.[v] The education system has been further strained by the COVID-19 pandemic, as many schools lack the necessary infrastructure to provide a safe learning environment. Currently, approximately 5.5 million children in Yemen are in need of educational services.[vi]
Creating the Age Border
Since 2014, the Yemeni population has experienced significant damage from the conflict that has translated into a substantial population shift. Not only has the conflict resulted in a death toll of over 100,000 civilians, but it has also forced an estimated four million Yemenis to flee the country as refugees. In addition to a high adolescent fertility rate, these factors have altered Yemen’s population so dramatically that 60.42 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 24 years old.[vii][viii] This “age border” is further exacerbated by limited use of contraceptives, poor access to education, and a high adolescent fertility rate of about 6.2 births per woman.
Youth, Education, and the Opportunity for Development
With this massive young population, Yemen has a huge opportunity for development if it prioritizes education in the post-conflict recovery period. Investing in education has enormous economic benefits: at a societal level, an increase in education contributes to macroeconomic growth.[ix] Research has also linked education to social cohesion, as education allows citizens to more actively participate in state affairs, politics, and community events.[x] If the post-conflict Yemeni government focuses on developing strong educational institutions that have sufficient resources to support its young population, the economic and social benefits could be substantial.
Prioritizing early-education initiatives could also support the post-conflict peacebuilding process. Studies show that governments who invest in early education in a post-conflict context ultimately create what is known as a “peace dividend,” in which a government’s commitment to peace, development, and human rights is demonstrated through investment in early education.[xi] After enduring a civil war from 1983 to 2005, for instance, South Sudan was able to use education to progress economically. From 2005 to 2009, South Sudan invested heavily in early education initiatives that taught life skills, HIV prevention tactics, and peace education that challenged ethnic and group prejudiced violence. These educational reforms raised the nation's GDP per capita from 1,337 USD in 2009, to 1,516 USD in 2011. If Yemen follows Sudan’s example, the country may also experience a similar rise in GDP following this model of development through education.
With a large portion of Yemen’s population at a prime age to benefit from increased education, investing in education in post-conflict Yemen can undoubtedly help create stability. However, the benefits of strengthened education systems also extend more broadly to advancing principles of peace as the country rebuilds. As seen in South Sudan, efforts to transform their education system have led South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to swear in the former rebel leader Riek Machar as the first vice-president–a massive step towards peace-building.[xii]
If the post-conflict government fails to provide equal and sufficient access to education, or allows the wrong type of education, studies from South Sudan, Kenya, and Nepal suggest that it will fuel more violence.[xiii][xiv] According to the “youth bulge” theory, rapidly expanding young populations experience high levels of unemployment, making them more susceptible to recruitment into terrorist or rebel organizations.[xv] Thus, it is especially important for the Yemeni government to focus its efforts on providing young people with an education that provides them with employable skills and prevents their recruitment into military or criminal activity.[xvi] Given Al-Qaeda’s existing presence in Yemen, investment in these educational institutions is all the more necessary to optimize a post-conflict Yemeni society’s prospects for development.
The age border in Yemen has created a window of opportunity. Post-conflict recovery focused on education has the potential to heal the state and put it on track to becoming a developing nation. With Yemen facing countless hurdles in its quest for stability, the victors of this conflict must be committed to developing and sustaining an education that will create a brighter future for the nation.
Illustration by Oscar Martinez.
[i] “The World Factbook: Yemen.” 2018. Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency. February 1, 2018.
[ii] “War in Yemen | Global Conflict Tracker.” Council on Foreign Relations
[iii] “Yemen Crisis: Why Is There a War?” 2020. BBC News. BBC. June 19, 2020.
[iv] Aljazeera, 2
[v] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Education Under Attack 2018 - Yemen.”
[vi] “Education.” 2020. UNICEF Yemen. October 5, 2020.
[vii] Magdy, Samy. “Report: Death Toll from Yemen's War Hit 100,000 since 2015.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 31 Oct. 2019
[viii] “The World Factbook: Yemen.” 2
[ix] “(Re)Creating Education in Postconflict Contexts: Transitional Justice, Education, and Development (Full Paper).” 2011. International Center for Transitional Justice. April 20, 2011
[x] International Center for Transitional Justice, 2
[xi] International Center for Transitional Justice, 3
[xii] Rabbani, Fazle, Myra Murad Khan, Sam Norgah, and Pauline Rose. 2020. “Education in Time of Conflict: South Sudan Pursues Quality Education as Peace Moves Forward.” Global Partnership for Education. February 27, 2020
[xiii] Smith, Alan. 2003. Education, Conflict and International Development.
[xiv] International Center for Transitional Justice, 4
[xv]“The Effects of 'Youth Bulge' on Civil Conflicts.” n.d. Council on Foreign Relations
[xvi] International Center for Transitional Justice, 5
