Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programmeof the European Union

Yemen

Refugees
Country
Briefing

ARENA aims to enable access tohigher education for refugees,
displaced persons and persons
in a refugee-like situation.

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Turkmenistan

Turkey

Syria
Iraq

Iran

Egypt
Saudi Arabia

Yemen

Yemen
Official name: The Republic of Yemen (Al-Jumhuriyah al-Yamaniyah)
Location: 					Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, andRed Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Population:

29,884,405 (July 2020 est.)

Ethnic groups: Predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, 					 European
Languages:

Photo coverpage:
Panorama of Sanaa
at night, Yemen
Photo: ShutterstockArabic is the official language

This country briefing – especially developed to help with the evaluationof credentials of refugees, displaced persons and persons in a refugeelike situation – should give orientation on the education system in Yemenin the light of recent political and economic developments in this country.
It presents a systematised overview on its higher education system andlinks to the available information sources that are useful for the evaluationof qualifications of refugees coming from Yemen, even in cases where
candidates present insufficient or lack of documentation.

Source: CIA World Factbook

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Current situation
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Yemen consists of the two formerly independent
states of North Yemen (Kingdom of Yemen) andSouth Yemen (People’s Democratic Republicof Yemen). North Yemen became independent
from the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and the formof government was changed to a republic after amilitary coup in 1962. South Yemen became an
independent republic in 1967 after the port city ofAden had been a British protectorate during the
19th century. The southern government adopted
a Marxist orientation and changed the country’s
name from the People’s Republic of Southern
Yemen to the People’s Democratic Republic of
Yemen.
In 1990, the two states were formally unified as theRepublic of Yemen. Discoveries of oil in the borderareas, as well as the collapse of the Soviet Union,
expedited a solution of a unified country. A southernsecessionist movement and brief civil war in 1994
was quickly repressed.
During the Arab Spring, there was a public uprisingin Yemen in 2011-2012 which led to President
Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation. President Salehtransferred all presidential power to Vice President
Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi in February 2012.
The uprising was in protest of the proposedconstitutional changes and with demands for
economic measures and democratic reforms.
The political uprising during the Arab Spring led
to a civil war, which in 2015 escalated into aninternational war.

CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATIONThe Yemeni society is divided, not only between
the historical north and south, but also between
tribes and clans. Yemen is also the poorest andleast developed country among the Arab states.
The damaging civil war and several years ofconflict has led to a humanitarian crisis.
The reasons for the political uprising in 20112012 were partly political and partly economic.
Some of the political reasons were President
Saleh’s strong concentration of power with theproposal of re-election and prospect of his son totake over. The concern and uncertainty about thecountry’s further development were exacerbatedby the many antagonisms between tribes andregions, as well as the presence and activity of
militant Islamists, including Al-Qaeda and theIslamic State. The economic reasons included thegeneral dissatisfaction with living standards, thehigh unemployment rate, and corruption within theregime.

The political uprisingduring the Arab Spring
led to the developmentof a civil war in Yemen.
President Hadi resigned in January/February 2015
and fled to Oman and moved to Saudi Arabia when
the Houthi rebels surrounded his palace and took
over the capital Sana’a. The Houthis claim thatthe council headed by Mohammed Ali al-Houthi isthe legitimate government, while the international
community supports Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi.

IMPACT ON THE SYSTEM OF EDUCATIONThe events and conflict in Yemen have had a great
negative impact on the education. Throughout
2011 and 2012, around 1.2 million children wereprevented access to basic education becauseof the crisis. Numerous schools have even been
destroyed, occupied or looted. There are also lackof teachers and low awareness of the importanceof education within different communities. The
quality of education faces major challenges,
in terms of low qualified teachers and lack of
textbooks and learning materials. The literacy rateof the total population (over the age of 15) is 70.1
percent, where the literacy rate is 85.1 percent
among men and 55 percent among women. School
life expectancy from primary to tertiary education
is 9 years for the total population: 10 years for men
and 8 years for women.

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Education in YemenRESPONSIBLE GOVERNING BODIES
There are different governing bodies responsible
for education in Yemen. The Ministry of Educationis responsible for primary and secondary
education, while the Ministry of Higher Educationand Scientific Research is responsible for higher
education.

RECOGNISED HIGHER EDUCATIONINSTITUTIONSThe Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific
Research provides information on recognised
higher education institutions on their website:
http://www.yemen.gov.ye/portal/mohe

ACCREDITATION BODIESThe Council of Accreditation and Quality Assurancein Higher Education was established in 2009.
The council is a division of the Ministry of Higher
Education and Scientific Research in Yemen andhas since it was established been responsible forthe accreditation and quality assurance in higher
education in Yemen.

TYPES OF HIGHER EDUCATIONINSTITUTIONSThere are public and private universities in
Yemen, with Sana’a University as Yemen’s oldest
university established in 1970. Aden University
was established in 1975 as the country’s second
university, and Al-Eman University opened in1991 as the first private university. The public
universities are free, while the private universities
charge tuition fees. The quality of education varies
among the private universities, although someof the institutions provide high quality education
programmes.

NATIONAL EDUCATION REFORMS
Education in Yemen is obligatory and free forthe first nine years, which is mentioned in The
General Law of Education No. 45 of 1992. The
law also stipulates that education is a human right.
In 2013, The Medium-Term Results Framework(MTRF) 2013-2015 was prepared by the Ministry of
Education in Yemen in order to provide pre-school,
basic and secondary education as well as literacy
and better adult education for all.

The quality of education
varies among the private
universities, althoughsome of the institutions
provide high quality
education programmes.

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Education chart
PhD (3 years)
Admission requirements: Master’s degree

Master (1 to 2 years)
Admission requirements: Bachelor’s degree
Postgraduate Diploma (1 year)
Admission requirements: Bachelor’s degree
Bachelor (4 to 6 years)
Admission requirements: General Secondary
Education
Diploma (2 years)
Admission requirements: General Secondary
Education
School leaving certificate (12 years)
Basic education (9 years) + Secondary
education (3 years)

Source: International Association of Universities (WHED)6

Education system
Education is compulsory from age 6 to 14. It is
state-controlled and free of charge. Arabic is thelanguage of instruction, and English may be usedwithin some streams in higher education.

Pre-Higher Education
School education in Yemen consists of nine years
of primary education (locally known as basic
education) and three years of secondary education(9+3 pattern). After first year of secondary
education with common curriculum, students
choose either literary or scientific streams. School
education start at age 6 to age 18. The Ministry of
Education is the responsible governing body of the
pre-higher education.
Primary Education• Length of program: 9 years• Certificate/diploma awarded: Preparatory
School Certificate• Purpose of diploma: Access to secondary
education• Age of entry and age of exit: Ages 6 to 15
Secondary Education• Length of program: 3 years• Certificate/diploma awarded: Al Thanawiya(General Secondary Education Certificate)• Purpose of diploma: Access to higher
education• Age of entry and age of exit: Ages 15 to 18

Higher Education
Higher education is provided by several public
and private universities. Admission requirements
are based on the students’ secondary education
certificate (Al Thanawiya). It is required to have ascore of 50-60% for admission to the Faculties ofLaw, Education and Arts. A score of 65-70% for the
Faculties of Science, Agriculture and Commerce
and at least 80% for the Faculties of Medicine andEngineering. Arabic is the language of instruction,with English as the medium of instruction in somestreams.

FIRST CYCLE
Diplomas• Length of program: 2 years• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya + entrance
examination for some fields• Fields of study: Dentistry, Electronics,
Information Technology, Pharmacy• Requirements for completion of studies: A
minimum of two years in duration• Access to further studies: Bachelor’s degree• Age of entry and age of exit: Ages 18 to 20
Bachelor’s degrees• Length of program: 4 to 6 years• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya + entrance
examination for some fields• Requirements for completion of studies: A
minimum of four years in duration + at least
132 credits• Access to further studies: Postgraduate
Diploma and Master’s degree• Age of entry and age of exit: Ages 18 to 22

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SECOND CYCLE
Postgraduate Diplomas• Length of program: 1 year
• Access requirements: Bachelor’s degree• Access to further studies: Master’s degree
Master’s degrees• Length of program: 2 years (Master ofEngineering is 1 year)• Access requirements: Bachelor’s degree with ascore of at least “Good”• Requirements for completion of studies: A
minimum of two years in duration• Access to further studies: Doctorates

THIRD CYCLE
Doctorates• Length of program: 3 years• Access requirements: Master’s degree with ascore of at least “Good”

TEACHER EDUCATION
Primary school teachers• Length of program: 2 years• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya• Institutions: At teacher training institutes oruniversities

Secondary school teachers• Length of program: 4 years• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya• Certificate/diploma awarded: Bachelor of
Education• Institutions: Universities (faculties of education)• Graduates with the General Secondary
Education Certificate (Al Thanawiya) has
recently been allowed to teach in schools

MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES• Length of program: 4 to 6 years. Bachelor of
Medicine is 6 years of study• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya• Access to further studies: Master’s degree

ENGINEERING EDUCATION• Length of program: 5 years• Access requirements: Al Thanawiya• Access to further studies: Master’s degree(one-year programme)

Admission requirements
are based on thestudents’ secondary
education certificate(Al Thanawiya).

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The Toolkit projects
ARENA is the third cycle Refugees and Recognition - Toolkit project. The two previous are:TOOLKITThe first project took place between 2016–2018. The overall goal was to enhance the mobility,
employability and access to further studies for refugees. The main outcome of the project
was the Toolkit for Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications, representing a first-aid kit for staff
working with the assessment of inadequately documented qualifications.
For further information, visit: https://www.nokut.no/en/Refugees-andRecognition/toolkit
REACT
The follow-up project REACT took
place between 2018–2020. Here the
Toolkit methodology was successfully
tested as a supplement to ordinary
admission procedures in cooperation
with several European higher education
institutions. The main outcome was the
REACT Q-Card for Admission Officers,
providing recommendations for action
at higher education institutions working
towards enabling access to further
studies for refugees.
For further information, visit: https://www.nokut.no/en/react/refugees-andrecognition

As part of the previous projects, refugees country briefings
were developed for Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq, Syria, Libya,
Iran, Ethiopia, Venezuela, Somalia and the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC).

Grading system
Most universities use a percentage grading system
as shown below. Aden University uses a grade
point average system from 0 to 4, and Sana’aCommunity College uses a percentage + grade
point average system from 60-100.

Percentage

Description

88-100%		
78-87%		
63-77%		
48-62%		

Excellent
Very good
Good
Pass

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Information Resources, Recommendations
and Best Practices
Databases and National
Bodies
ENIC-NARIC NETWORK:
Information regarding national authorities incharge of higher education issues in Yemen:https://www.enic-naric.net/arab-states.
aspx?country=Yemen&c=216
EXISTING COUNTRY DATABASES:•

UK NARIC. (2020). Yemen•

International Association of Universities.
(2020). Yemen

FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS ANDDIPLOMA MILLS
If you have any questions concerning theauthenticity of a document or the accreditation of
an institution, we recommend that you contact yournational ENIC-NARIC centre.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In cases of incomplete files or unverifiable
documentation, a good example of best practice
could be NOKUTs interview-based evaluation
method: https://www.nokut.no/en/foreigneducation/Recognition-Procedure-for-Personswithout-Verifiable-Documentation/

NATIONAL EDUCATION BODIES:•

Ministry of Education: www.yemen.gov.ye/
portal/education•

Ministry of Higher Education and Research:www.yemen.gov.ye/portal/mohe•

Accreditation Council and Quality Assurance inHigher Education: (+967)712517561•

Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher
Education (ANQAHE): http://www.anqahe.org/

Evaluation
Recommendations
DOCUMENTATIONThe situation in Yemen has made it difficult tocontact the Yemeni authorities and educational
institutions for verification of documentation.

The situation in
Yemen has made itdifficult to contact the
Yemeni authorities andeducational institutions
for verification of
documentation

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Existing Best Practices
EUROPEAN AREA OF RECOGNITIONMANUAL:http://www.eurorecognition.eu/manual/ear_manual_v_1.0.pdf

EUROPEAN QUALIFICATIONS PASSPORTFOR REFUGEES (EQPR):
https://www.coe.int/en/web/education/recognitionof-refugees-qualifications

RECOMMENDATION ON THE RECOGNITION
OF REFUGEES’ QUALIFICATIONS UNDER
THE LISBON RECOGNITION CONVENTION
AND EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM:
https://rm.coe.int/recommendation-onrecognition-of-qualifications-held-by-refugeesdispl/16807688a8

TOOLKIT FOR RECOGNITION OF REFUGEES’ QUALIFICATIONS:
https://www.nokut.no/globalassets/nokut/
artikkelbibliotek/utenlandsk_utdanning/veiledere/toolkit_for_recognition_of_refugees_qualifications.pdf

References
BBC. (2019). Yemen country profile: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704852
CIA World Factbook. (2020). Middle East: Yemen: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/ym.html
International Association of Universities. (2020). Yemen: https://www.whed.net/results_systems.php
Store norske leksikon. (2020). Jemen: https://snl.no/Jemen
UK NARIC. (2020). Yemen: https://www.naric.org.uk/product/International%20Comparisons/SectionInformation.aspx?CountryID=183
UNESCO. (2012). World Data on Education, 7th Edition: http://www.ibe.unesco.org/sites/default/
files/Yemen.pdf
Yemen Ministry of Education. (2013). Yemen Education Sector Plan. Mid Term Results Framework
2013-2015: https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/2013-02-Yemen-Education-Sector-

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What is ARENA?
ARENA (Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit 3) is an Erasmus+ supported project,which aims to contribute towards more transparent and professional procedures for therecognition of refugees’ qualifications in Europe. The project builds on the completed
Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit project, where a common methodological approachto the recognition of refugees’ qualifications was developed with the Toolkit for
Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications.

Goal
The overall goal of the ARENA project is toenhance the mobility, employability and access tofurther studies for refugees, displaced persons andpersons in a refugee-like situation, including those
without official documentation of their educational
background.

TIMELINE

2020
Partnership meeting
Kick-off meeting with consortium
5 new refugee country briefings

Activities
The activities are structured around three main
focus areas concerning the further testing of
the Toolkit in major refugee receiving countries,
managing sustainability of identified best practiceprocedures and assessment schemes, andaddressing the need for updated and relevant
information resources.

MAIN PROJECT ACTIVITIES

E-learning modules based on country briefings
Workshop with HEIs

2021
Further testing of the Toolkit with HEIs
EQPR pathway•

Further testing of the Toolkit in cooperation with
NARICs and HEIs from Greece and MaltaManaging sustainability of best practiceprocedure•

Mapping of how HEIs in Italy view the EQPR
as a supplementary document for admission tofurther studies

National seminars for stakeholders•

Managing sustainability of best practiceprocedure identified in the REACT project•

Development of five new refugee country
briefings on the educational systems of Yemen,
Burundi, Rwanda, Sudan and Palestine•

Development of e-learning modules

E-learning modules on best practice2022
Final dissemination seminar

WANT TO KNOW MORE?
To enable the accessibility and transparencyof the project’s work, the results will bemade available on the project’s website on
a continuous basis.
Websites:
https://www.nokut.no/en/arena-toolkit-3
Email:
project-arena@nokut.no

Drammensveien 288
Postboks 578,1327 Lysaker
Telefon: 21 02 18 00
www.nokut.no

This document was developed in the framework of the EU-funded project Refugees and Recognition – Toolkit 3(ARENA) by the ENIC-NARIC centres of Norway, Italy, Belgium (Flanders), the Netherlands, Malta and Greece.

Co-funded by the
Erasmus+ Programmeof the European Union

The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of thecontents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use,which may be made of the information contained therein.