“I wanted to complete my education but early marriage, and my family's financial situation ruined it all" said an 18-year-old girl from Wadi Ahmed region, who prefers to remain anonymous.
As we walked into the grimy, dilapidated house surrounded by broken structures and children playing with the grubby soil, she began to tell us how she first gave birth to a child when she was fourteen. She proceeded to deliver four more babies.
The first four babies were lost because she was uneducated about the process of pregnancy. She was unable to recognize three missed menstrual cycles as a sign of pregnancy. She mistook the birth of the first four babies for extra heavy menstrual flows, and only realized her mistake when she was pregnant with her fifth child, who she is now bringing up.
Every year, girls drop out of school in Yemen. According to the Ministry of Education, schools in rural areas that start with 60 female students per class, have about ten by the ninth year.
The powerful force of conservatism is the main factor responsible for this phenomenon. Traditions and customs play a very important role in Yemenis' lives. As long as they exist, registration in schools by females will continue to plummet.
Girls face a great deal of pressure from their families, and traditions seem to govern their family life.
"Traditions play a negative role and lack of awareness increases the consequences- such as early marriage and restriction of girls' education," said Ashwaq Al-Namer, a teacher at Al-Fajr Schools.
According to Intisar Mohammed Al-Adhi, an official from All Girls Society for Development, girls' ignorance is in part due to their parents' lack of education, especially in rural areas.
It is part of Yemeni custom to marry off girls at an early age, especially in poor families. Hence, only the sons are educated.
"Girls are not encouraged to complete their education because parents believe that it is futile as they will leave their home and get married one day," said Asma Al-Shameiry, the manager of Beit Al-Khawi Female Association. "Boys will support their families if they are educated. This belief results in the deprivation of education for girls."
Poor families find it difficult to cope with the incessant demands of the schools and hence they think it best to just stop sending their daughters to school. They are under a lot of financial pressure.
“Teachers and schools make it difficult for students from rural areas when they demand special school notebooks and particular parts of uniforms which forces poor families to quit their daughters’ education" said Al-Olofi.
Girls have to shoulder agricultural and domestic burdens such as bringing in water; cooking, shepherding and collecting firewood which takes many hours and also has a negative effect on their education. Poor families need their daughters to do such work as they are buried with financial demands and need to increase their family income.
Sometimes, girls have to travel up to two hours between home and school in rural areas where no transportation is available.
“Parents should not stop their daughters' education just because the school is far away. They must be aware that the danger lurks in the lack of girls' education" said Al-Namer.
Also, as a part of their traditions, parents don't believe in sending their daughters to co-educational schools.
“Many rural districts like Wadi Jormooz and Bani Al-Harith have no all-girl schools which discourage parents from sending their daughters to study with boys" said Sameera Al-Sharahi, a teacher at Shuhada'a Al-Jaweeah School, Bani Al-Harith.
A lack of female teachers has also played a role in keeping the girls away from school. As long as the Yemeni people are resolute on remaining faithful to their traditions, this problem will not be solved. Traditions and customs don't change overnight.
Things can help
Rehabilitation centers for illiterate mothers could also play a role in promoting education among the girls themselves. "In rural areas where mothers are not educated, education centers could play a major role in spreading awareness among them and consequently it could prove to be beneficial for girls' education, "said Nasser Al-Shamma, head of Om Al-Baneen Charitable Society.
Yemeni people are social in nature and establishing good relations with students and parents narrows the gap between families and school staff: “When we have good relations with the students’ mothers, they encourage their daughters to study,” said Al-Olofi.
She suggested that the community could work together to raise money and families could use the funds to send their daughters to school.
CHF International, a non-governmental organization, has teamed up with All Girls Society for Development and has executed a support movement under the slogan, “It is my right to learn." The project aims at decreasing the number of girls dropping out of schools in the Bani Al-Harith area. There is a union between the All Girls Society for Development, Om Al-Baneen Charitable Society, Bait Al-Khawi Women Society and Al-Shorooq Society for Development, which has emerged as one the results of this promotional drive. According to Intisar Mohammed Al-Adhi, the locals responded quite positively and they were quite supportive of this new venture. In fact, they want such organizations to be more active
Bani-Il-Harith girls are deprived of their education due to the pressure of traditions.