The Ideologization of Education

For decades, education in Yemen has been one of the arenas for ongoing conflict in its various forms. It has consistently been exposed to a series of ideological storms—Marxism, Wahhabism, Brotherhood, Houthism, and militarization. These forces have worked in tandem, taking turns in undermining the educational system, obstructing its role in fostering progress, modernization, and capacity building. This has diminished the quality of educational outcomes across various fields and squandered opportunities for generations of Yemenis. These maladies, collectively, have been one of the primary factors paving the way for Yemen's descent as both a state and a society into fragility, weakness, and cycles of conflict and regression.

All parties that have successively taken control of Yemen, or parts of it, have viewed the structures, pathways, and curricula of education as a highly effective tool to reinforce the influence and dominance of their ideology, expand their followers and base, and mobilize and recruit to strengthen their armed forces. This was done with the aim of creating a broad popular foundation to support their authority, which often lacks the minimum requirements of legitimacy—constitutional, legal, ethical, or pragmatic. In this imagined country of powerful groups, each group seeks to dominate, leaving society subservient, the individual weak, and the state hostage and compromised. This stands in stark contrast to the outcomes of modern, quality, and neutral education, which necessarily fosters active citizens, a cohesive and enlightened society, guidance for the performance of public institutions and authorities, and a state based on progress, development, stability, justice, and the rule of law—a strong state.

It is essential to acknowledge that the ideologization, politicization, and militarization of education are not new developments in Yemen’s landscape since the outbreak of the current conflict in September 2014, which escalated in March 2015 and has persisted over the past decade. These practices have been perpetuated by various Yemeni parties across different regions and group-controlled enclaves. In fact, these characteristics have shaped the structures and pathways of education for nearly six decades of Yemen’s modern history, which first began to emerge from ignorance and backwardness following the September and October revolutions in the mid-20th century.

Today, it is crucial to highlight the current epidemic of education ideologization, which is being led by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group. After seizing control of a significant portion of Yemeni territory—areas densely populated—the group is accelerating its efforts to "Houthify" education, far outpacing the damage caused by their military machinery in all their wars. The Houthis are driving what generations of Yemenis have built—modern educational structures, curricula, and pathways—into a deep abyss of obsolescence, deterioration, and weakness in both educational content and staff. They are systematically replacing national curricula and personnel with their loyalists and indoctrination materials, at all levels—primary, secondary, and even university education—repeating the same mistakes as the factions and ideologies that preceded them.

The other parties opposing the Ansar Allah (Houthi) group on various fronts in Yemen, although to differing extents, also share in the task of undermining the educational system. At the forefront of these efforts is the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah Party), the Yemeni branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has openly distanced itself from its parent organization. Additionally, the Southern Transitional Council and several Wahhabi Salafi groups, backed by the United Arab Emirates, are involved. It is worth noting that the UAE, while relentlessly suppressing Wahhabi Salafi groups within its own borders, paradoxically provides support, arms, and capacity-building for these groups in different regions of Yemen.

A comprehensive, objective, and methodological review of the various crises that have plagued Yemen’s educational system over the past decades, including the current conflict, is urgently needed. By analyzing the facts and realities, Yemen can develop a national vision that lays out strategic, actionable plans to address the numerous challenges facing its educational system. This involves freeing education from ideological, political, and militaristic contamination, as a crucial and urgent intervention.

 Such steps are essential to setting Yemen, and its future generations, on a path toward a modern, progressive, and national educational system—an indispensable requirement for reconstruction within the framework of a comprehensive, just, and sustainable peace process.