Report - Issue 34 - Yemen Times

34 - August 21th thru August 27th 2000, Vol X

Taiz-Alhujariah road, Total Neglect!

Yemen Times Staff
Taiz Office
Many articles have been written on this subject. However, nothing has been done. If we compare bragging of our officials about what they have fulfilled in reality, we will conclude that there is a big gap between both of them. As a live example of this is the situation of the main road of Taiz. The Construction Office has, many times, repaired and paved this road with asphalt. However, few weeks later wide cracks occur on the road, rendering it impassable. Even during construction of these roads the office spends quite a long time to fix it which consequently leads to traffic jams and sometimes accidents.
Another example is Taiz-alhujaria road. It was paved about 25 years ago during the late leader Ibrahim Al-Hamdi. However, so far it has never been properly maintained. Holes could be clearly seen on the road due to a number of reasons including water spilt from trucks which carry water to the city and floods coming down from mountains, especially from Saber and al-Rahish mountains. These floods carry down sands, stones, tree trunks and large branches that block the road, causing some road accidents. Many travelers to villages are forced to go back to town to stay until the road is cleared. Even in emergency cases when sick people from villages urgently need to be taken to hospital in town, they also have to stay until these floods are over. Many times I have seen families waiting in agony and pain till these floods are over!! This has been going on for a long time. However, the authorities seem to be indifferent. These authorities have to reconsider this issue and give it the attention needed so as to relieve suffering of the residents of the area and decrease the possibility of car accidents.

Girls’ Summer Activities Come to Close

Marking the closing of summer activities on languages, awareness of the importance of rational use of water, and health and environment care, the Girls School for International Languages (GSIL) on Saturday held a speech rally. It also included a seeing-off ceremony for Mrs. Carin Meerburg, wife of the Ambassador of Holland.
The occasion was attended by Mr. Jamal Muhammed Abdo, Director of Public Corporation for Water Resources and a number of Holland Embassy staff.
In her speech Mrs. Meerburg, who is considered to be a significant figure as founder of the GSIL, said: “ I arrived in Yemen in 1996 and found it to be quite different from Europe.” She added: “ After one year, i.e. in 1997, there were elections here and I worked as an observer in those elections. I could observe candidate and voter women’s infrequency.” She went on to say: “ I felt it necessary to pay attention to women’s education and enlightening them; particularly the poor women. This is because education is the road to future.” The outgoing Ambassador’s wife further said: “ I arrived from Europe where I took part in summer camps. I could see students in Yemen are not exploiting their summer or leisure time whereas it is always important to do so for their own good.” In her farewell speech she explained how she was able to establish the GSIL: “I met Mrs. Intilaq Al-Mutawakel, a teacher at Sana’a University, and had together discussed the possibility of teaching English language to girls who belong to limited-income families, with curricula serving environment and the society at the GSIL.”
Mrs. Meerburg expressed her belief that the school activities shall continue. Speaking about a library which she contributed to, she hoped that it would develop and expand more, particularly with references relating to water and health, “because I observed that water is one of the big problems in Yemen,” she said adding: “Although I have been living in Yemen for more than three years, I knew only in 1999, through reading, of the acute problems of water particularly in Sana’a and Taiz.” Subsequently she laid an emphasis on her students to read more and get acquainted as well as to disseminate awareness on the importance of rationale use of water.
It is note-worthy that some of her students took part in a conference on water held in the Netherlands. Applauding the girls’ role, Mrs. Meerburg said delightedly: “I am very happy with what they have gained and what they are doing now. That is why I see that education of girls and women is important in order to improve the conditions of the society.”
On the other hand, Mrs. Mutawakel, in her speech, expressed her pleasure on the achievements which the GSIL had realized in teaching English language as well environment, water, health and educational subjects concerning girls. “This means, the School is not concerned with language only but also several other useful lessons,” she said.
Mrs. Mutawakel then disclosed that a curriculum is under preparation on democracy, child’s rights and girls’ life.” She added that contacts and coordination with the Public Corporation for Water Resources and also the Technical Secretariat for Water & Sewerage resulted in preparation and teaching of a special curriculum on water. “It is purely scientific”, she said. In the field of health, a first aid curriculum has been prepared. “By the way, all these are taught in English language. These are the basic objectives of the school,” she said.
Commending Mrs. Meerburg’s role, Mrs. Mutawakel said: “She rendered technical and moral support. She offered grants to income-limited girls and others who showed desire to learn English language. The girl-students belong to State-run schools who have been nominated by their head mistresses or social workers.”
Mrs. Mutawakel maintained that after the summer activities, classes are run on once-a-week basis. She hoped experts from Information and Health Education would be arranged to give lessons on health in English language in form of guidance or curriculum.