“Yemeni Children in Egypt: The Right to Education is a Victim of Harsh Policies”

America / Aden al/amal / Sam Alasri

The Yemeni Amercan public affair Council USAEgyptian authorities are imposing harshpolicies on Yemeni refugee families, particularly in regards to the education of their children. Over 250,000 Yemeni students face difficulties in enrolling in public schools due to the restrictions imposed by the Egyptian government, which link education to residency. These laws have deprived these students of the opportunity to study, while the UN High Commissioner for Refugees is still negotiating with the Egyptian government to find a solution.Even those with a tourist visa suffer the same fate, unfortunately. The lack of access to education for refugee children can exacerbate humanitarian conditions, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in Yemen and the collapse of the state apparatus, where many Yemenis have fled to Egypt in search of safety due to persecution, forced disappearances, and other economic problems.These migrant families in Egypt had been relieved initially, but the policies have changed and the treatment of Yemeni refugees has worsened. As a result, many Yemeni families are forced to choose between paying high fees for private schools that they cannot afford or depriving their children of education.The suffering does not stop there. The Egyptian authorities have forced all children born in Egypt since years ago to obtain a residence permit, which comes with fines according to the child’s age and student’s tuition fees. Some families have been asked to pay as much as 17,000 Egyptian pounds or 20,000 Egyptian pounds per individual in the family.Many families have turned to the Yemeni embassy in Egypt for help, but their responses were disappointing. They were told that these are the country’s laws and that the embassy cannot intervene. The lack of movement from the Yemeni government and embassy to provide any exceptions or solutions has further exacerbated the suffering of the Yemeni community abroad, especially in light of the lack of suitable educational options for their children.In this situation, it is imperative that the Egyptian government reviews its policies towards refugees and provides more support to marginalized groups such as Yemeni refugee families. We hope that the authorities will ease these procedures and allow refugee students to resume their education, giving them hope for a better future.We also urge the Yemeni government and embassy to make more efforts to communicate with Egyptian authorities and exempt these students from these laws, taking into account the extraordinary circumstances faced by these students and their families.We demand that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister, and President communicate with the Egyptian government to find suitable solutions to protect our children from ignorance and ensure their right to education.