Education is the right of all people. From this perspective, Mareb students start to pursue their university education despite of the tribal conflicts in the province. The persistence of the students in pursuing their university education despite the difficulties they face in transportation and traveling through the desert on foot makes you feel surprised.

At the same time, the students condemned the continual tribal conflicts of which they have become victims even if they do not belong to the parts of conflicts. So, they strongly demand to make the colleges "Hejer" respected, safe and secure places prohibited to be harmed. After they have been deprived from university education for several years, the Faculties of Education Arts and Sciences were opened two year ago to give them a hope in pursuing university education. However, students are still suffering from the tribal conflicts; in this investigation, some students will narrate the difficulties and sufferings they face in pursuing their university education.

Travel burdens and the bandits:
 
Saeed Al-Athel, second level, faculty of Art, Serwah district, said that they face difficulties in far distance, transportation, absence of student accommodation, laboratories and libraries in Mareb College. He said these problems made the educational process more difficult, but he confirmed that the educational atmosphere was better last year.

Salah al-Akaiby, director of registration, clarified that the number of enrolled students during last year was 1568 while the number of enrolled students this year is 674. He pointed out that the main reason behind this decrease in number of students is revenge.

He demanded to confine the issues of revenge on the guilty parties and not to involve the innocents. He stressed on the sanctity of the university and the students and that the university has no relation with issues of tribal conflicts which impede the educational process calling all tribes to sign a document confirming that.

The student Naji Mohammed al-Rawqi, second level, archeology and tourism department, considers the problem of transportation as the main problem facing the students daily. He said, "Sometimes, we are surprised by presence of checkpoints and bandits on the roads leading to the faculties because the conflicts between two tribes erupted and the students pay the prize for that while they should not be a part of these conflicts."
 
He adds, "Once, while we were leaving the faculty, we were informed that there were bandits in the road, so we were forced to pass the desert and it took us about 5 hours on foot. In spite of that, we were surprised by the presence of bandits in the desert. We have used a number of cars. We have become like smugglers."

He demands to find radical solution for these problems not only by the temporary compromise solutions. This is the demand of many students whose tribes have agreed upon temporary compromise, so the students are threatened to stop their study by the end of the compromise period.

Examinations: parts of conflicts' chance

The problem of Abdullah Saleh al-Tamam, first level, archeology and tourism department, and many students of Rahaba district, 140 km away from the center of province, is that the tribal conflicts compel them to suspend their education and make the transport more difficult for them whereby they are forced to use many cars till they reach their colleges.
 
Al-Tamam appealed the tribal sheikh to take their problems into consideration; there are many students deprived from pursuing the university education because of the tribal conflicts and the absence of student accommodation.

The students whom we have met said that they have faced some problems in addition to the problems of tribal conflicts, such as the lack of student accommodation, and the absence of laboratories and libraries.

Some parts of conflicts get the period of examinations as a chance to target the students who are all present to perform their examinations. The student Salem Nasser al-Obaidy, second level, Biology department, faculty of Sciences, said the parts of conflicts target the students during the examination period," expressing his refusal for such action which he considers as deep-rooted problem.

Raising awareness on tribal conflicts and revenge phenomenon is the responsibility of all and the university student has to play the major role because he is educated. However, al-Obaidy says that the student can not spread awareness in his tribe because that will be considered as if he is renouncing them and this is shameful.   

Despite of the repeated suspensions of university education due to the tribal conflicts, a faint hope appears through a document that prohibits harming the college and its property, students and teachers and considering it as "Hejer" (respected, safe and secure place prohibited to be harmed).

The document:

The document appears after hijacking the bus of the faculty few months ago. The document is adopted by Dr. Abdullah al-Najar, the dean of the faculty and the collage administration, some tribal sheikhs have signed the document and the efforts are still continuing to collect the signature of other tribal sheikhs, social figures, civil society organizations and political parties in Mareb. The document will oblige everyone to stand one hand against anyone harming the collage, student and the teaching staff.

Conflicts and students decrease:

The director of student registration Saleh al-Akeemi demands to quick signing and implementing the document in order to create a safe atmosphere for students and the teaching staff inside and outside the college away from the conflicts.

The registers of students reveal that the number of enrolled students in the faculties of education, sciences and arts since they were opened reaches 1548 boys and 213 girls from the 14 districts of Mareb. Some 1200 students performed their examinations and 348 were absent. 646 students including 153 girls upgraded to the second level. About 648 students joined the college during this year 2007-2008.

Girls' suffering:

Not only the boys in the university suffer from the tribal conflicts, the girls also suffer from these conflicts which obstruct girl education in the province.
There are about 330 enrolled girls in the registers of the faculties but the rate of attendance is low.

In field visit carried out by Mareb Press and Al Neda Newspaper for the faculties, we have met a number of girls who preferred not to mention their names. A struggle for education is problem of all boys and girls, but the status of women is more complicated in the province. Despite the fact that the society in Mareb respects women and exclude them from the tribal conflicts, but they have become the victims in all cases. The girls told us the difficulties they face starting with convincing the family to go to the college, the far distances and ending with the lack of laboratories and libraries.

The girls of al-Jawba district travel a distance of 40 kms to reach their collage. It is very exhausting but exciting for those who are lucky to pursue their university education, while thousands of girls can not obtain their right of education. There is representation for all Mareb districts in the university, but it is still very few; in some districts there is only one girl.

The girls told Mareb Press and al Neda about the consequences of tibal conflicts and revenges on all stages of education from the primary school till the university. A girl said, "At the end of every month, a problem takes place." The other girls who come from far districts complain from the bandits saying "if there are bandits, we go back home." Last year, the tribal conflicts prevented a lot of girls from reaching their faculties more than once and this year the problems are increasing, a girl said. The girls of al Jawba district numbered conflicts taken place this year.

With regard to consequence of conflicts on educational process, a girl said, "The revenge and tribal conflicts do not only affect the education of girls, they affect woman whether she is educated or not," when Al Neda asked her, how? She said in a hopeless tone that a woman loses her husband, father or brother because of revenge. Woman is the big loser in any conflict or revenge.

The role of the college in raising awareness:

Dr.Hussain Abdullah al-Musay, professor of syntax in education faculty, said, "The faculty has to play a major role in raising awareness among students through holding symposiums, seminars and programmes on the tragic consequences of tribal conflicts. Then, the students will make a great impact on their tribes and on the next generation."
 
He added, "Every one involved in these conflicts has become bored from them and they wish to find a solution for such conflicts but there are not practical solutions or someone who can lead these people to find a solution."

He attributed the delay and absence of students to the difficulty of moving due to tribal conflicts of which the students have become the victims. The educational level of the students involved in these conflicts and revenges is very low and their psychological status is unstable. Even after graduation, the idea of revenge is still stick in their minds. 

Al-Musay called for raising awareness and taking care of education in general and primary education in particular. He appealed all sons of Mareb to realize that this college is the biggest advantage they have got since the revolution and they will gain its fruits in the future and they have to make it a respected, secure and safe place (Hejer) and they have to work to expand and develop their college because it is the medium of progress and development. He called upon them to stand against anyone trying to harm the college.

The Dean's cooperation:
 
Dr. Abdullah al-Najar, the dean of education faculty, does not see any problem with revenge but there is a problem in the absence of laboratories and libraries, lack of lecture halls and teaching staff because there is no enough budget, as he said. 

He said, "The educational process in Mareb is very complicated; not because of the tribal conflicts, but because of the lack of teachers and the absence of schools.
He added, "Some students in the college can't read and write because there is great negligence for the primary education as well as the corruption which begins to spread in the educational process."

The dean welcomed the initiative of the Future Association for Development and Social Peace (FADSP) which was launched in cooperation with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI)- Curbing Conflicts Programme, Mareb press website and Al Neda Newspaper. The initiative targets Mareb, al-Jawf and Shabwa provinces and aim to raise awareness for curbing revenge and to create safe atmosphere for the students in the colleges away from the tribal conflicts. He announced his support to serve the interests of Mareb's sons.

 Al-Jawf: Education Deprivation

Al-Jawf province is one of the three targeted provinces. The deterioration of educational process and the deprivation of students from pursuing their education need for public and official efforts to create safe atmosphere for students.

According to statistics of education office in al-Jawf province, Abdul Hameed Amer, deputy director of education office, said, "Eight schools are closed since three years in Al Sayeda and AlMazareeq zones because of tribal conflicts."

"The number of students graduated from the high school from 2001 to 2007 is more than 10 thousands students and only 2,000 students have pursued their university education," Amer added. He said, "The initiative needs the efforts of all people and it has to raise the awareness of the concerned bodies, because if these bodies are convinced of the dangers and consequences of conflicts, other people will be convinced."