By Faisal Abu Bakr | 2026-02-04

The Iran backed Houthi militia is exploiting Yemen's education sector through curriculum distortion, ideological indoctrination, withholding teacher salaries, and militarizing summer camps.

Experts warn that these actions constitute a war crime, depriving millions of students of their right to education and threatening Yemen's future and national identity.

In a statement marking the International Day of Education on January 24, the Yemeni Teachers’ Union described a grim situation.

Approximately three million children are out of school, over 170,000 teachers have not received salaries for years, and nearly 2,900 schools are non-operational.

The union warned that education is being corrupted into a tool for sectarianism and militarization through distorted curricula and summer camps.

Teachers are being subjected to systematic policies of starvation and humiliation, which are designed to facilitate their replacement with individuals loyal to the group.

Distortion of school curricula

"The Houthi militias have systematically worked to destroy the education sector by distorting curricula to instill extremist ideas, withholding teacher salaries, and replacing staff who are not loyal to them," political analyst Fares al-Beel told Al-Fassel.

"Due to the deliberate stoppage of salaries by the Houthis, many teachers in Houthi-controlled areas have been forced to leave the education sector and take arduous jobs to earn a living," he added.

Schools are being used as centers for ideological indoctrination and recruitment, with some even converted into military barracks and weapons depots.

The Houthis have also converted summer camps into closed training facilities to arm children and indoctrinate them with extremist ideologies.

Child recruitment

Child recruitment is deemed a crime against humanity and directly violates international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"In a systematic violation of international law, the Houthi militias used schools, mosques, and summer camps for ideological indoctrination and child recruitment, ultimately preparing them for battle," said Fahmi al-Zubairi, Director General of the Human Rights Office in Sanaa.

He noted that UN experts, UNICEF, and Human Rights Watch document Houthi child recruitment, confirming that "more than 65% of the militia's recruits are children."

Teachers suffering

Teachers in Houthi-controlled areas are enduring harsh humanitarian conditions due to suspended salaries and their replacement by group loyalists.

Political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Fassel that the Houthis' primary objective is to gain control over all educational institutions.

He pointed to the severity of the Houthis' actions against teachers, "which range from dismissing ideological opponents and taking some to court, to issuing death sentences against others for simply demanding their salaries."

Control of education by the Houthis severely jeopardizes Yemen's national identity and its entire future.