On Monday, July 17, 2023, Al-Thawra Newspaper published news about the meeting between Mahdi Al-Mashat, the President of the Supreme Political Council, and the Minister of Education, Yahya Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi. During the meeting, they discussed the preparations and necessary arrangements for launching the new academic year 1445 AH and the means to ensure a successful start to the educational process and the activities of the new academic year.

One does not need to exert much effort to understand the extent of the deteriorating education levels in Yemen, due to the puppet rulers serving their colonial masters, the United States and Britain. Reports from international organizations have indicated that the education index has reached a worrying level. The illiteracy rate in rural areas over the past three years has reached around 70%, compared to 40% in urban areas. This has resulted in approximately two million students dropping out from various educational stages, in addition to four million others affected by the war. Thus, the total number of affected students, including dropouts and war victims, has reached six million.

Education has become increasingly elusive amid the economic conflict experienced by the people of Yemen. The government in Sana’a has taken steps to formalize fees for private education. The government-affiliated newspaper Al-Thawra published in its issue on Sunday, July 9, 2023, news announcing the establishment of tuition fees for accredited private schools in the capital city for the academic year 1445 AH. This systematic policy is aimed at directing people towards private education, turning it into a source of income and exploitation for the influential and wealthy elite, while abandoning its role in providing free education.

The matter doesn’t end there; the previous government in Sana’a imposed monthly fees on students in government schools under the guise of a “community contribution.” Furthermore, free school textbooks are no longer provided, and they are now sold at exorbitant prices through designated spots linked to the printing presses, marking an unprecedented step in Yemen’s history. On the other hand, textbooks are printed only for private schools that can afford to pay for them, showing a lack of concern for the deteriorating living conditions of the people.

A significant concern is that the educational curriculum in our country does not promote Islamic values but rather includes concepts that contradict Islamic beliefs, such as nationalism and ethnicity, which undermine the unity of Islamic Aqeedah. Additionally, the curricula in the areas under Houthi control are filled with repugnant sectarian ideas. In regions under the control of the Presidential Council, the sons and daughters of officials and influential individuals shamelessly monopolize all available scholarships. Meanwhile, the less privileged members of society face financial hardships and are forced to abandon education in search of basic livelihood, either within the country, emigrating abroad, or even resorting to fighting on the frontlines to protect the thrones of corrupt rulers. It is a distressing and repulsive sight to witness.

It is evident that education has been undermined from its foundations through a curriculum that fails to nurture Islamic personalities, all while being developed under the supervision of UNESCO. Furthermore, the teachers responsible for education have been systematically destroyed by reducing their salaries to the lowest level on the pay scale, leaving them unable to cover their expenses. In areas under Houthi control, teachers have gone without salaries for over seven years. They barely manage to make ends meet in regions under the authority of the Presidential Council. This has led to the teachers becoming the largest group in society suffering from poverty, as their struggles have surpassed their capabilities. Consequently, they are forced to seek employment in other fields to meet their essential responsibilities towards their families.

The unfortunate state of education is not a recent issue; it dates back to the days of Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule and even before that, since the destruction of the Islamic Caliphate in 1924. The oppressive regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh allowed foreign organizations, such as UNESCO, to have influence over educational curricula, leading to corruption. After convincing Muslim colonized nations that they had been freed militarily, the oppressive West invaded them intellectually, targeting education as a priority in all Islamic countries.

The control of curricula fell into the hands of tyrannical organizations through puppet governments that served the enemies of the Ummah. These curricula and educational policies were built on the basis of malicious capitalist principles, which aimed to separate religion from life and strip Islamic Aqeedah from the foundation of the state and the culture of the Ummah. This colonial policy worked towards eradicating Islam from educational curricula, which should have been focused on nurturing Islamic personalities, mentally and psychologically, and preparing Muslim children to become specialists in all fields.

The suggested solution to address the issue of poor education in Yemen and other Muslim countries is to work towards establishing the Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate). Establishing Khilafah is considered a religious obligation (fard), and it has proven successful in the past by bringing the Islamic Ummah to its peak of glory and leadership of humanity as a whole. During its existence, the Islamic Khilafah excelled in various fields, producing scholars, politicians, and leaders in different domains, and it laid the foundations of a strong Islamic society.

Under the Caliphate’s leadership, it had schools that produced scholars, statesmen, military leaders, and experts in various disciplines, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and the spread of Islam’s teachings. It transitioned the world from darkness into the light of Islam, establishing justice, prosperity, and solidarity everywhere it reached. The people living under the Khilafah experienced the best of both worlds, living in happiness and prosperity. They knew and worshipped Allah sincerely, drawing inspiration from worldly knowledge to remain at the forefront of civilization, flourishing through the ages with their achievements and advancements

What we need today to build a proper educational system is a sound political system (Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate on the method of the Prophethood). Hizb ut Tahrir has elaborated on this educational policy within Khilafah State in its various publications, such as “Foundations of Methodological Education in the Khilafah State.” You can find it at the following link:

http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/PDF/EN/en_books_pdf/Education_System__25.12_.2016_.pdf

The Hizb, with its consciousness and determination to resume the Islamic way of life, has formulated an educational policy within the draft constitution of the Khilafah Rashidah State (rightly guided Caliphate state). The Hizb strives to establish this Dawlah to restore the position of this Ummah at the forefront of all nations. It aims to show politicians and rulers that we have the capability to lead the world, and we have prepared everything required for that. We call upon the people of Yemen and all Muslims to work with us to completely change this reality, so that we witness the implementation of Islamic rulings and the proper management of affairs in politics, education, economy, media, and all aspects of life. This is close to becoming a reality, by the will of Allah. As Allah (swt) says:

[وَعَدَ اللهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ]

“Allah has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [therein] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me. But whoever disbelieves after that – then those are the defiantly disobedient.” [An-Nur:55].

Media Office Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Yemen

Press Release
3 Muharram 1445 – Friday, 21st July 2023
No: HTY – 1445 / 01
(Translated)