Education

Mukalla, Yemen – Mohammed Salem heads out every morning for his job as a teacher at a government-run school. But once his shift is finished at that school, he then goes to a private school, where he also teaches. After a brief stop home for lunch, Mohammed is off to his third job, in a hotel, where he works the rest of the day.

“If I had any spare time for a fourth job, I would take it,” Mohammed, a teacher with 31 years of experience, said. He spoke to Al Jazeera outside his flat in a large housing complex in the eastern suburbs of Yemen’s southeastern port city of Mukalla.

He has been forced into taking on the extra jobs because of Yemen’s dire economic situation, and specifically the Yemeni riyal’s slide against the US dollar in recent years.

“I return home at night completely burned out,” he said. “Teachers are devastated and have no time to take care of their students. During classes, they are preoccupied with the next job they will take after school.”

Despite working from morning until night, the father of six says he earns less than half of what he made a decade ago, down from the equivalent of $320 a month to $130.

For more than a decade, Yemen has been mired in a bloody conflict between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-backed government, a war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and affected nearly every sector, including education.

The conflict has devastated the country’s main sources of revenue, including oil exports, customs and taxes, as rival factions wage an economic battle alongside fighting on the front lines.

The Houthis, who control Yemen’s densely populated central and northern highlands, including the capital Sanaa, have not paid public sector salaries since late 2016, when the internationally recognised government relocated the central bank from Sanaa to the southern city of Aden.

The Yemeni government, which controls Aden and the south, has also failed to raise public sector wages or pay them regularly, citing dwindling revenues after Houthi attacks on oil export terminals in southern Yemen.

Thousands of Yemeni teachers have voiced frustration over stagnant and delayed pay, saying their salaries have not improved since the war began. When they are paid, it is often late, and the wages have lost much of their value as the Yemeni riyal has plunged from approximately 215 to the dollar before the war started, to about 2,900 to the dollar in mid-2025. The Yemeni riyal is currently valued at about 1,560 to the dollar in government-controlled areas.

Faced with meagre and irregular incomes, teachers like Mohammed have adopted harsh survival strategies to keep their families afloat. His family has been forced to skip meals, cut out protein-rich foods such as meat, fish and dairy, and move to the outskirts of the city in search of cheaper rent.

He also asked one of his children to forgo university and instead join the military, where, he said, soldiers earn about 1,000 Saudi riyals ($265) a month.

“If we have money, we buy fish. When there is nothing, we eat rice, potatoes and onions. We do not look for meat, and we can only get it during Eid through donations from the mosque or charities,” Mohammed said.

During holidays and weekends, he lets his children sleep until the afternoon so they do not wake up asking for breakfast.

And when one of his children falls ill, he first treats them at home with natural remedies, such as herbs and garlic, only taking severe cases to hospital to avoid unaffordable medical bills. “I only take them to the hospital when they are extremely sick,” he said.

Generation at risk

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in its Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026 released on March 29, the country’s education sector continues to be hit by a catastrophic, multilayered crisis.

An estimated 6.6 million school-aged children have been deprived of their right to education, while 2,375 schools have been damaged or destroyed. Teachers have also been severely affected, with about 193,668, nearly two-thirds of the national total, receiving no salaries.

In the al-Wadi district of Marib province, Ali al-Samae, who has been teaching since 2001, said his salary of about 90,000 Yemeni riyals barely covers his own expenses.

The financial strain has forced him to leave his family of seven in his home city of Taiz.

“Instead of focusing on preparing lessons and using modern teaching methods, our entire focus is on how to earn enough money to support our families,” he said. “Before the war, my salary was equivalent to 1,200 Saudi riyals [$320]. Now it is about 200 Saudi riyals [$52],” al-Samae told Al Jazeera.

To survive, he has taken on extra jobs, while his family has been forced to skip meals and cut out meat and chicken. He now visits them only once a year, often arriving empty-handed after spending most of his salary on transportation.

“We now live just to survive, rather than to teach. In the past, salaries covered our basic needs, but now they are not enough; even milk has become a luxury. Life has become very difficult.”

Part-time teachers say they are worse off than their full-time counterparts, as the government has neither raised their salaries nor added them to the official payroll.

Hana al-Rubaki, a part-time teacher in Mukalla, and the sole breadwinner for her mother and three sisters, told Al Jazeera that her salary barely covers expenses for 10 days.

Despite eight years of service, she earns the same as newly hired contract teachers. “There is no job security, despite my eight years of service. There is no difference between me and a contractor hired last year; everyone receives the same salary,” she said. “After taxes, my salary is just 70,000 Yemeni riyals [$44] a month. With the high cost of living, it feels more like a token allowance than a real salary.”

She added that delayed payments further worsen her situation. “Delayed salaries disrupt our daily lives and leave me struggling to meet even my most basic needs. While some teachers can find additional work to support their families, it is incredibly difficult for us female teachers to do the same.”

Protests and patchwork solutions

To highlight their plight and pressure the government to improve salaries, teachers across government-controlled areas have staged sit-ins, taken to the streets in protest and gone on strikes, disrupting education for months.

The cash-strapped government, which is mired in internal divisions and spends much of the year operating from abroad, has largely left the issue to provincial authorities.

Some governors have responded by approving modest incentives. In Hadramout, a raise of 25,000 Yemeni riyals ($16) a month was approved, while in other areas they have ranged between 30,000 Yemeni riyals ($19) in others and up to 50,000 Yemeni riyals ($32).

“The incentives provided by local authorities vary from one province to another, depending on each governor’s priorities and capacity to support teachers in their region,” Abdullah al-Khanbashi, head of the teachers’ union in Hadramout, told Al Jazeera, adding that protests would continue until teachers receive better and regular pay.

“Teachers are showing up in torn clothing, and sometimes their students have more money in their pockets than they do. Some families have broken apart, while others have been evicted from their homes because they could not pay the rent. Other teachers have children suffering from malnutrition because they cannot afford to feed them,” he said.

In Marib, Abdullah al-Bazeli, head of the teachers’ union in the province, said local farmers have stepped in to help teachers remain in classrooms by giving them some of their produce.

“Farmers support teachers, especially those coming from outside the province, by giving them tomatoes, potatoes and other vegetables for free,” al-Bazeli said.

He also called for teachers’ salaries to be raised to the level of ministers. “A teacher’s salary should be equal to that of a minister. Teachers educate generations, while ministers often fail to make a meaningful impact. Some teachers have begun to die from hunger,” he told Al Jazeera.

In Houthi-controlled areas, teachers have rarely taken to the streets to protest the suspension of their salaries, as authorities suppress dissent and blame the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition for imposing a “blockade” that they say has hindered their ability to pay public sector wages.

Acknowledging the problem of low salaries, the Yemeni government says dwindling and disrupted revenues during the war have prevented it from increasing public sector pay. “The main reason is weak financial resources resulting from the war and recurring instability, which have undermined institutions and revenue streams,” Tareq Salem al-Akbari, who served as Yemen’s education minister from 2020 to 2026, told Al Jazeera.

Teachers interviewed by Al Jazeera say they are running out of patience with the repeated promises that their salaries will be improved, warning that they may abandon the profession altogether if they find better-paying jobs that could spare them from hunger or begging in public.

“The idea of leaving teaching is always on my mind, but I have not found an alternative job,” Mohammed Salem said. “I feel pity, and sometimes cry, when I see a teacher begging in mosques or calling from a hospital, asking for help to pay for a child’s medical treatment.”

The Great British Menu judge Tom Kerridge has shared an insight into life with his rugby-loving son Acey, describing the youngster as a ‘monster’ and an ‘absolute unit’

Tom Kerridge says he has “monstrous fireworks” with son Acey as he shared a candid family insight. Tom, 52, shares 12-year-old son Acey with wife Beth Cullen-Kerridge.

Beth is a sculptor by trade and last year took part in two shows in the United States. While Tom says rugby-loving Acey, who still attends the local state primary school, is like a “mini me”.

The two share a love of motorbikes and a passion for cooking. Tom has previously described Acey as an “absolute unit” and revealed he could deadlift 80kg by the time he was aged nine.

Tom, who grew up in a single-parent household in Wiltshire, says he is “learning to be a dad”. It comes as he opened up about his relationship with young Acey.

Speaking to The Times, Tom said: “We have monstrous fireworks but we also have the best laughs. The best way I can describe my relationship with him is I am like his big brother, just with money.

“So we will play the same games. We’ll do daft things. And then we’ll fall out like brothers as opposed to a father and son relationship.

“I grew up in a single-parent family so I’m learning to be a dad at the same time as he’s learning to be a son. I haven’t got anything to base it on so we’re both learning as we go along. And I think so far we’re doing all right.”

Tom has previously explained that Acey found his “space” on the rugby pitch. Although the chef says he has a “red mist” and “hates losing,” taking inspiration from former England star Joe Marler.

Speaking on the Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner podcast, Tom said: “My son is an absolute unit, rugby is his space, rugby is his game, rugby is where he is going to go. He plays number one, number three.

“He suffers from red mist. We have a conversation about it quite a lot, he can be the most gentle, wonderful human but he’s also got this streak of, he hates losing, he has a temperament that explodes and I love that, I try to control, to enhance it.

“My son is unnaturally strong, he’s nine years old but he can deadlift 80 kilos, he’s a monster and Joe is his hero. Joe is the greatest thing that’s ever been.”

Tom also says that his arguments with Acey drive Beth “nuts”. On the Rugby Lives podcast Tom disclosed that young Acey mirrors many of his characteristics.

When questioned if his son ‘takes after him’, Tom responds: “Yeah, in a lot of ways, he does massively and it drives my wife nuts because sometimes just like, two of us. And we do fall out quite a lot because we argue about the same thing and it’s almost like having an argument with yourself and then afterwards we both laugh about it.”

Tom will return to screens from 7pm tonight (April 3) with The Great British Menu on BBC Two. This week’s episode will see the top two chefs from Northern Ireland cooking a six-course meal in a bid to impress the judges, including Tom, Great British Menu Champion of Champions Lorna McNee, and comedian Phil Wang.

Iran’s parliament speaker has accused the United States of plotting a ground attack despite publicly pushing for a negotiated deal, as the US deploys thousands of military personnel to the Middle East.

“Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a statement on Sunday, carried by the official IRNA news agency, as Iran struggled with power cuts amid escalating Israeli attacks on central and western areas of the country.

Iran’s Ministry of Energy reported power outages in the capital, Tehran, its surrounding region and neighbouring Alborz province on Sunday, “following attacks on electricity industry facilities”. The Fars news agency reported later that the outages were being resolved.

It was unclear whether the attacks were related to US President Donald Trump’s threats to strike Iranian power stations and other energy infrastructure if Tehran did not agree to a deal to end the war. Trump extended his deadline by 10 days through April 6 as Washington presented a 15-point plan for peace that critics described as “maximalist”.

Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Tehran, said that authorities had activated substations to restore power. “This gives an indication of how much they’ve been also preparing for such situations,” he said.

Ghalibaf’s comments on Iran’s readiness for a ground assault came as The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of limited ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island, a crude export hub, and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz shipping chokepoint.

As the US-Israel war on Iran stretches into its fifth week, the Trump administration is also planning to send thousands of soldiers from the army’s 82nd Airborne to the region, following a US Central Command (CENTCOM) announcement Saturday that about 3,500 military personnel had arrived in the Middle East on board the USS Tripoli.

IRGC threatens retaliation after university attacks

The Israeli military said it dropped more than 120 munitions on sites used for research, development, and production of weaponry in Tehran on Sunday.

Iran’s Ministry of Health reported that 2,076 people had been killed since the start of the war, including 216 children.

Among the deaths, six people were killed in a US-Israeli attack on a residential area in the Iranian village of Osmavandan, according to the Mehr news agency, which added that five houses were destroyed and 22 were severely damaged.

A university in Iran’s central city of Isfahan said it was hit by US-Israeli air strikes on Sunday for the second time since the war erupted, leaving four university staff members wounded.

The strike followed an attack the previous day on Iran’s University of Science and Technology. After that attack, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it would target two Israeli or US universities in the region in retaliation, according to Iranian state television.

Hossein Sadeghi, head of the Information and Public Relations Center at Iran’s Ministry of Education, told the IRNA news agency that at least 250 students and teachers have been killed amid strikes on 600 educational facilities across Iran since the war began.

Also on Sunday, a commercial building housing Qatar’s Al-Araby TV in Tehran was hit, with video footage showing walls and windows blown out of the multistorey block. “It was a real miracle we survived,” said Al Araby camera operator Mohammadreza Shademan. “There was no military target here”.

As the civilian cost of the war mounts, Iran is demanding compensation in a five-point plan presented to the US.

That plan also includes a halt to killings of Iranian officials, an end to hostilities, safeguards against the outbreak of more war, and Iran’s “exercise of sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz”.

Iran, Hezbollah launch attacks

Israel’s military said on Sunday evening that it had detected seven new incoming missile salvoes fired from Iran during the day. These coincided with Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel, with sirens triggered in more than 100 towns.

Israel’s ADAMA, a pesticide maker in the Neot Hovav industrial zone, located 9km (6 miles) south of the city of Beersheba, said its Makhteshim plant was hit either by an Iranian missile or debris ⁠from a missile. No casualties were reported, and no leak of hazardous materials was found.

Reporting from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh said it was “an incident that raises a lot of alarms”.

“This industrial zone has about 19 different factories, including a bromide factory and some pharmaceutical factories. But it’s also home to the main hazardous disposal sites in Israel. So a lot is at stake here,” she said.

Another missile hit open ground near homes in Beersheba, injuring 11 people.

Israeli media reported that missile fragments fell on the northern port city of Haifa after missiles launched by Iran and Hezbollah were intercepted.

Houthis enter fray amid talks

As the war raged on, foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt and Saudi Arabia met in Islamabad, looking to de-escalate the conflict, which has also ensnarled Gulf nations hosting US military assets.

Across the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted 16 ballistic missiles and 42 drones launched from Iran, while Saudi Arabia reported downing 10 drones. Sirens sounded in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The Iranian army said it had targeted US forces based in Jordan, launching drones on the living quarters and military equipment sites at the Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Azraq, the ISNA news agency reported.

Meanwhile, readying itself for attacks amid the US military build-up, an Iranian naval commander, cited by state media, said Iran had complete control of waters near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for a fifth of the world’s oil.

He said Iran was waiting for US forces to come within range, warning they could be targeted with coastal missile systems.

As oil prices shoot up and the world’s economy slides, the arrival of Yemen’s Houthis into the conflict, with Saturday’s strikes on Israel, further complicates matters, raising fears that the Yemeni group could block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza upended commercial traffic worth about $1 trillion a year.

A Canadian woman who moved to the UK with her partner and three children recently paid a visit to a charity shop where she noticed several differences between the stores here and in her home country

A Canadian woman currently living in the UK has shared the key differences she noticed when perusing charity shops here as opposed to the “thrift stores” in her home country.

Many people from the United States and Canada relocate to the UK and quickly come to realise that despite sharing the same language, there’s plenty of cultural quirks and differences. This seems to be the case for Jaclyn Walton, who swapped life in North America for England with her partner and their three children.

The mum has praised many aspects of life in the UK, from the school curriculum involving swimming lessons to the “beauty and history” that’s rife, as well as the football opportunities for her son.

She also spotted the different terms used commonly over here, like “sweets” instead of her native “candy” and “holiday” instead of the Canadian term, “vacation”.

Recently, Jaclyn took to Instagram to share a video of herself exploring a small charity shop here in the UK. Over the top of the footage, she narrated her thoughts: “Come with me to a British charity shop – it’s like a thrift store in Canada but here they call them charity shops as the sales help raise funds for charity.

“The differences I notice in Canada and the UK is the culture around charity shops. In the UK, it’s common, easy to pop in, take a look, and pretty normal.

“In Canada, you’re either a thrifter or you’re not. In the UK, like almost everything else, it’s smaller; these little shops with this type of selection.”

She went on: “In Canada, they have small ones like this but you also immediately think of big ones like Value Village where you have aisles and aisles upon selection.”

Back to her thoughts on UK charity shops, Jaclyn concluded: “These shops often have volunteers working here as well.”

In the comments section, Jaclyn added: “I didn’t love thrift stores in Canada but I do enjoy looking around here… maybe I just wasn’t in my thrifting era yet.

“I feel like with all the history in England, I am looking for a beautiful find.”

Fellow Instagram users were keen to share their thoughts. One said: “I think the difference in the UK is that people donate old stuff and the charity sells it for money.

“A thrift store is a kind of recycling centre where you can sell old stuff like books, which the operator cleans up and resells for a profit.”

Another said: “I never went in charity shops until I developed a book habit! I can now never resist popping int. My hometown is blessed with eight charity shops.

“One in particular is so nicely set out that you would think it is new items only. I look at clothes now and have bought some really lovely items. I’m definitely a thrifter now!”

A third commented: “You can find some really good stuff a charity shops in affluent areas. Try places like in the Cotswolds like Chipping Norton.” And a fourth added: “Love it.”

It offers world-famous sporting and medieval history, amazing food, and charming independent shops perfect for an Easter weekend staycation

The Easter bank holiday weekend is nearly upon us, and if you’ve managed to get a few days off work and want to make the most of it, a staycation is ideal.

And if you’re after somewhere boasting exceptional food, stunning scenery, rich heritage and an truly charming atmosphere, there’s one destination that’s worth a visit.

Home to one of Britain’s oldest universities, St Andrews on Scotland’s east coast is genuinely one-of-a-kind. Where else could you stumble upon a 170 year old pub just moments away from an Oliver Bonas? It’s a place I’ve returned to so many times, but every visit reveals something different to explore.

On a recent weekend getaway to Lower Largo, a small village in Fife, we decided to spend the afternoon exploring St Andrews. From Edinburgh it’s roughly an hour and a half by car, while from Glasgow it takes about an hour and three quarters.

Whether you’re passionate about the sport or not, most people probably know that St Andrews is best known for its golfing heritage.

The Old Course, one of the world’s most famous courses, features an iconic structure that you have to get a photo with, regardless of how often you’ve visited.

The Swilcan Bridge, built over 700 years ago, was our first stop on this trip. Positioned on the course’s 18th hole, strolling onto the green feels surreal, but it offers the perfect photography moment.

You’ll inevitably encounter fellow tourists there, so you may need to queue briefly for your picture, but it’s worthwhile. Conveniently, there’s a fantastic pub named the Jigger Inn just a two-minute stroll away, which was our next stop for some food.

With roots dating back to the 1850s, the Jigger Inn is a cosy, inviting pub with crackling fires that overlooks the golf course. There’s an excellent array of beverages at the bar, or you can settle down and order food, which is exactly what we did.

You can’t convince me there’s a better combination than a caesar salad, chips and wine, and the Jigger Inn did all of these perfectly.

Well nourished, it was then time to venture into the actual town itself. It’s not the biggest, and most of the shops and attractions are located on one of about three main streets, but you could easily wander around for hours without getting bored.

St Andrews is a truly unique place with distinct medieval influences that remain very apparent as you wander around the town. The university began teaching in 1413, which is utterly mind-boggling to think about, especially as it’s still a flourishing educational institution today.

There’s no denying that it’s an incredibly affluent area. Students from across the globe flock here to study, and the multiculturalism only enhances its appeal. It’s also famously the location where William and Catherine met and sparked their romance.

One of the main attractions is the remains of St Andrews Cathedral, situated near the seafront. Constructed way back in 1158, it was formerly Scotland’s largest church. Little remains of the original structure today, and it has since been converted into a graveyard.

Unfortunately, protective barriers surrounded numerous graves due to possible safety concerns, but it’s still a haunting yet fascinating spot to wander through.

There’s so much going on in St Andrews that you can easily forget that the sea is right there. Just past the Old Course sits the West Sands Beach, which famously appeared in that memorable opening sequence of Chariots of Fire.

Had the weather been warmer, this would have been an ideal spot for a walk, but the fierce wind was battering us from all directions so we opted to retreat to the shelter of the town centre.

St. Andrews boasts an excellent range of shops, from high street names like H&M and Jo Malone to unique boutiques and retailers you won’t find elsewhere. As a passionate book lover, I was eager to check out Topping and Company, a well-known family-run bookshop with a handful of branches throughout the UK.

The team were welcoming and helpful, and the range of titles available was outstanding. An entire display of signed first editions greeted visitors at the shop entrance, and the bookcases appeared to extend upwards and deeper into the shop endlessly.

It’s the sort of place where you could easily spend hours browsing – and rack up quite a bill too. Luckily, I succeeded in limiting myself to just one book, which demonstrated admirable self-control on my part.

There was just one final destination to visit on our trip, and if you like a sweet treat, you’ll want to hear about it.

You can’t visit St Andrews without stopping at Fisher and Donaldson. Founded in Fife in 1919, this family bakery is known for one thing and one thing only – its fudge doughnuts.

Widely regarded as the very best in Scotland, these indulgent delights are filled with fresh custard and topped with a delicious fudge icing.

Naturally there are other cakes and biscuits available, but the fudge doughnut honestly beats everything else on offer. We brought some home to enjoy with a coffee later on, and it’s fair to say they didn’t last very long.

St Andrews is just a wonderful place to spend the day or even the weekend if you prefer taking things at a slightly more relaxed pace. It’s brilliant regardless of the weather, but I can’t wait to return in the summer when it’s a little warmer.

Iranian football players laid backpacks on a football pitch in Turkey to pay tribute to the children killed in a US-Israeli strike on Minab elementary school last month. The tribute came ahead of a friendly match against Nigeria.

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump on Tuesday called on nations to work together to improve access to education and technology for children around the world, delivering her plea as she addressed a gathering of her counterparts from more than 40 countries.

The first lady’s Fostering the Future Together initiative, which she announced last year, and an inaugural two-day summit that she opened Tuesday are examples of how Melania Trump has expanded her portfolio to embrace global issues.

“As people we dream. As leaders we progress. As nations we will build,” she said in opening remarks. “Beginning today, let’s accelerate our new global alliance, this bond, to positively impact the progress of our children.”

She called on participants to host regional meetings, conduct research studies, begin new partnerships and collaborate with another member country “to cultivate the skills young people need to be successful in this rapidly evolving world.”

She said the goal of empowering children will be achieved by creating innovative programs, advocating for supportive education policies, sponsoring tech-focused legislation and building strong public-private partnerships.

“This room is filled with extraordinary human capital,” the first lady said. She urged the leaders seated around a large U-shaped table in a State Department auditorium to “harness it to elevate your children, to empower your people and to accelerate your economies.”

The gathering included technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and OpenAI.

Among those participating were Olena Zelenska, the spouse of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The first lady announced the Fostering the Future Together initiative during the U.N. General Assembly session last fall.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.