Education Under Fire

Schools violated, attacked, and repurposed into military barracks—completely taken out of service. This is how the armed conflict has left its deep scars on the educational process in Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate, where schools have paid a heavy price for this ongoing strife.

This blog sheds light on the suffering of the education system in this district and the blatant violations it has endured, ranging from direct assaults and attacks on schools to their use as military barracks by conflicting parties. Such actions have crippled the schools’ ability to fulfill their educational mission.

The article also examines the painful repercussions of these violations on children’s right to education, highlighting the immense hardships faced by students and teachers in an environment lacking safety and security. Despite the severe challenges, they continue their struggle to keep the flame of education alive.

Ammar bin Yasser Basic and Secondary School

Around 1,000 male and female students, from first grade to twelfth grade, receive their education at Ammar bin Yasser School, located in Al-Shuraija, Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate. The school employs 34 teachers, but it has suffered repeated violations by various parties to the conflict.

At around 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, 2015, the school was occupied by armed members of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, who stationed themselves at its gate and used part of the school as a military barracks.

On Thursday, November 26, 2015, at 3:30 p.m., Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes targeted the school without prior warning, aiming to strike Ansar Allah (Houthi) fighters stationed inside. The attack caused extensive damage to the school building and its walls, destroyed its furniture, and resulted in cracks in nearby buildings from the impact of the shrapnel.

Another airstrike targeted the school on Wednesday, July 27, 2016, at 12:00 p.m. during end-of-term exams, causing the complete cessation of educational activities and rendering the school unsafe for students.

On Wednesday morning, August 24, 2016, at 11:00 a.m., the school was subjected to shelling by Ansar Allah (Houthi) fighters stationed on Al-Hamam Mountain to the west, inflicting further damage to the building and its contents. The attacks were repeated on Tuesday, February 20, 2018, at 4:00 p.m., when Katyusha rockets fired by Southern Transitional Council forces, who had seized control of the southeastern outskirts of Al-Shuraija, caused additional destruction to the school.

As a result of the conflict, all educational activities at the school came to a complete halt on July 27, 2016, prompting many residents of the area to flee. Students were forced to continue their education in the Al-Malih area of Al-Qabbaytah District, studying in tents, under trees, and even in caves under harsh conditions. They endured the scorching heat of summer, the freezing cold of winter, and the constant threat of being swept away by floods during the rainy season.

In 2021, the Al-Mustaqbal Organization, through the Yanabee' Al-Khair Foundation, intervened to build a small, alternative school in the village of Shaqra, east of the Al-Shuraija area in Al-Qabbaytah District. This area is located approximately three kilometers from the frontlines of clashes between the 2nd Infantry Hazm Brigade, aligned with the Southern Transitional Council and in control of the region, and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group forces stationed in the mountains west of Al-Shuraija.

Since the start of the 2021/2022 academic year, students from Ammar bin Yasser School have been relocated from Al-Malih to the alternative school in Shaqra, as most students have returned from their displacement areas. However, some students remain displaced with their families. Currently, the school accommodates around 653 male and female students, taught by 37 teachers.

The alternative school in Shaqra consists of nine small classrooms, which are insufficient to accommodate all students, leading to overcrowding. Other students are taught in tents next to the classrooms, sitting on the ground. The students suffer from a severe lack of basic necessities such as chairs, blackboards, and textbooks, as well as the absence of electricity and water services.

The location of the alternative school remains unsafe, situated approximately three kilometers from the frontlines between the Southern Transitional Council forces and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group fighters stationed in the mountains west of the area. Sporadic clashes between the two parties frequently result in stray shells reaching the roads and mountains in the region, occasionally landing near the school and the roads leading to it. This forces students and teachers to suspend educational activities at the alternative school whenever clashes and random shelling occur in the area.

Al-Thawra Basic and Secondary School

One of the schools that the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group turned into a military barracks is Al-Thawra Basic and Secondary School, located northwest of Lahj Governorate, in Souq Al-Ithnain, part of Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate. The school is situated on a high hill known as Al-Muhaddad, a strategic location overlooking several neighboring villages.

Before the conflict, the school hosted approximately 650 male and female students from various nearby villages and was staffed by about 33 teachers alongside the administrative team.

After the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group gained control of Al-Qabbaytah District in mid-2015, the security situation in the area deteriorated. Nevertheless, educational activities continued until mid-2019, when the area surrounding the school became a battleground between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, who had seized control of the Ayreem area in Al-Qabbaytah District, less than one kilometer south of the school.

On the morning of Saturday, July 13, 2019, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group stormed the school and used its buildings as a military barracks. Some rooms were allocated for storing weapons, while others were used as a kitchen for their forces. This led to the complete cessation of educational activities in the school.

The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group planted landmines and explosives around the school to protect their forward positions, turning the site into a frontline. These measures caused frequent explosions, killing livestock that approached the area.

On the same day, at 2:00 p.m., Saudi/UAE-led coalition airstrikes targeted the school with a missile that struck the area surrounding it, causing material damage, including shattered window glass and doors blown off due to the force of the explosion.

As clashes intensified between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and STC forces, the villages near the school witnessed mass displacement. The area became a theater of fierce battles between the two sides, involving various types of weapons.

Despite the displacement, students of Al-Thawra School continued their education during the 2019/2020 academic year in various displacement areas across Lahj and Taiz governorates. Since mid-2020, although most residents of the neighboring villages have returned as clashes have subsided, the school remains under the control of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and continues to be used for military purposes.

As a result, students were forced to relocate to an unsuitable alternative building belonging to an unfinished health unit in the nearby village of Ifoa starting from September 2020. This building, lacking windows and proper classrooms, has become a refuge for education despite its severe shortcomings.

Munir Mohammed (a pseudonym), a 45-year-old resident of Al-Qabbaytah District, told Mwatana:

"The number of students at Al-Thawra School before it was occupied was about 650 male and female students. However, due to the war and displacement, that number has now decreased to around 450 students. The remaining students continue their education in their displacement areas."

Despite the harsh conditions, students persist in their education at the alternative building, enduring an unsuitable learning environment. They sit on the ground in small rooms, with no windows to shield them from the scorching summer sun or the biting cold of winter.

The strategic location of Al-Thawra School, overlooking several villages, is one of the main reasons it continues to be used militarily by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, making it a frequent target of STC forces stationed less than one kilometer south of the school. Since mid-2019, the school has been repeatedly targeted with medium-range weapons.

Despite the continued occupation of the school until the current year, 2025, and its use as a military barracks, its students remain steadfast, pursuing their education under challenging circumstances at the alternative building, clinging to their right to build a better future.

30 November Basic School

The 30 November Basic School is located in the Al-Dabi area of Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate. The school provided education for students from first to eighth grade in both morning and evening shifts. Due to insufficient classrooms, some students were taught in tents next to the school. The school had 319 male and female students, and nine teachers.

Since July 2018, the school’s location in Al-Dabi has become a frontline in the conflict between forces affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group planted landmines around the school, making the area unsafe from mid-2018 until now. The group also stationed their forces at locations no more than 100 meters north and west of the school. During this period, clashes involving various types of weapons occurred between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and STC forces stationed east of the school, approximately one kilometer away, specifically in the Al-Markhoumah hill and the Al-Dabi mountains.

With the school situated on the frontline and surrounded by landmines planted by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, it was completely shut down.

Abdulbasit Abduh, a 48-year-old teacher at the school, told Mwatana: “Since early September 2018, we were forced to relocate the students to different buildings to continue their education. Some of them studied in a health unit building in the area, which was located slightly away from the frontline, while others joined Ammar Bin Yasser School in Al-Shuraija."

He added,"In the following two years, the students of 30 November School studied in the home of a displaced resident from the area. This house was protected by a mountain on its western side. However, in 2021, the homeowner returned and asked us to vacate the house, forcing us to relocate to another house in the village. A year later, the owner of this second house also requested its evacuation, so we moved the students to another house but under construction in the area, where they are still studying today. We don’t know when the owner will ask us to leave, and we will have to search for a new location again."

He continued, "Although the alternative locations we used as schools were also unsafe, we were compelled to continue the educational process for the students. From time to time, shells from random shelling would land on the nearby mountains."

Since 2018, the 30 November School building has remained closed and out of service due to the landmines and explosive remnants planted around it and along the surrounding roads by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group.

To the east of the school, forces from the STC’s 2nd Infantry Hazm Brigade are stationed on the Al-Dabi mountains and Al-Markhoumah, located 500 meters to one kilometer from the school. These locations serve as frontline positions for the STC forces. The area where the school building is located has become a conflict zone between the two parties, witnessing intermittent violent clashes involving various types of weapons since 2018.

Even in the alternative locations, students and teachers have not been spared from the conflict. Random shelling and stray bullets have occasionally reached these areas, forcing the suspension of educational activities for several days during intense clashes.

Despite harsh conditions and the lack of safety, the students and teachers of 30 November School continue their educational activities with determination in alternative locations, amidst the absence of any fundamental solutions to provide them with a safe and stable educational environment.

Martyr Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Zubairi Basic School

The Martyr Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Zubairi Basic School is located in the Al-Sareeh area of Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate. Before classes were suspended in September 2015, students were receiving basic education at the school, which accommodated between 150 to 170 students and was staffed by 19 teachers and administrative personnel.

In September 2015, the school ceased operations due to the intensification of the war and armed clashes between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and forces loyal to then-President Hadi. The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group took control of Al-Sareeh and surrounding areas, resulting in the mass displacement of residents from the village and nearby communities.

The area where the school is located turned into a battlefield between the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group and pro-Hadi forces, which were irregularly stationed in the Karish area of Al-Qabbaytah District, approximately four kilometers east of Al-Sareeh. These clashes, along with the displacement of residents, continued in various parts of the region until 2019.

In 2018, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group withdrew from the area after planting landmines and explosive devices indiscriminately across the area, including the mountains and roads. The area subsequently came under the control of the 2nd Infantry Hazm Brigade, affiliated with Al-Anad Axis and loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC). Clashes between the two sides continued, and the area was subjected to artillery shelling of all kinds.

After the STC's 2nd Infantry Hazm Brigade took control of the area, the school building was repurposed as a military barracks starting in early February 2019. Part of the building was used as a field hospital, while the rest was converted into administrative offices and storage for supplies and weapons.

To the west of Al-Sareeh, the neighboring areas of Al-Shuraija and Al-Dabi, also part of Al-Qabbaytah District, are located about three kilometers away. Since 2018, these areas have been frontlines between STC forces and the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group.

Between 2015 and 2021, the students of Al-Zubairi School continued their education in displacement areas such as Karish in Al-Qabbaytah District, Al-Anad in Tuban District, and areas in Al-Musaymir District, all within Lahj Governorate.

In the 2021/2022 academic year, after most residents returned to the area, and with the continued occupation of the school by STC forces, residents and teachers were forced to resume classes under floodwater drainage bridges along the road passing through the area.

This road, which connects Karish and Al-Shuraija in Al-Qabbaytah District and links Lahj Governorate to Taiz Governorate, is about one kilometer north of Al-Zubairi School.

Farouq Naji, the school principal, 50, told Mwatana: "There are about ten bridges along this main road near our area. We teach each grade under one of these bridges, sitting on the ground, as we had no other choice to continue the students’ education after the school became occupied."

He noted that some students had not returned from displacement areas and continued their education there, while newly displaced students joined Al-Zubairi students under the bridges. Currently, there are 147 students, taught by 13 teachers.

He said, "The forces stationed in Al-Zubairi School offered tents for teaching the students, but we didn’t use them for fear that they would raise suspicion among the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, which controls areas to the west. They might perceive these tents as belonging to the forces controlling the area and target them."

Farouq concluded, "Even teaching under the bridges is not safe, as they serve as flood drainage during the rainy season. Floods can carry explosive remnants and landmines planted by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group in the surrounding mountains and locations, posing an additional threat to the lives of students and teachers. Despite these dangers, we are forced to continue educating the students under these perilous conditions, as there are no alternative options."

Despite the severe hardships imposed by the war on several schools in Al-Qabbaytah District, Lahj Governorate, teachers and students continue to strive for education through alternative options, even as their lives remain at risk.

Mwatana calls on all parties to the conflict, including the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group, Saudi/UAE-led coalition, and the Southern Transitional Council to immediately cease the use and occupation of schools, as well as to stop targeting schools and educational facilities. It urges them to ensure the neutrality of the educational process and to guarantee students their right to learn in a safe and stable environment without obstacles.

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