The Milieu of English Learning in Conflictaffected Zones: An Analytical Study on Yemeni Undergraduate Learners

Abstract

Despite that the international community agrees on the importance of education as an important tool for the emotional, physical and social stability of its members, education falls victim to the humanitarian crises across the globe. Due to instability and political unrest in conflict areas, accessing education becomes a dream for local young people residing in such places. It is agreed that war prevents students from their simplest right of pursuing education. It foils governments from functioning, teachers and students often flee their homes, and continuity of learning is greatly disrupted (UNICEF, 2021). Conflicts cause damage of schools, absence of teachers and students, delays in or even cancellation of the opening of the academic year. In the case of Yemen, Arab country located at the southwest of Middle East, war has killed tens of thousands, forced 4 million to flee and pushed the country to the rim of famine (Xinhua, 2022). In worst cases, students have to drop out of school and migrate to escape ongoing conflicts. Some of the students in such areas have become internally displaced, refugees or even fighters. For these harsh conditions, the schools and universities remain tremendously far-fetched. Education in conflict-affected areas has always been given a very low priority in humanitarian aid by organizations. Yemen, as a conflict-ridden area since 2015, has sunken into an unmerciful war which creates not only different security problems for Yemeni learners to carry on their regular formal learning, but also a number of economic and socio-cultural barriers as a result of instability in the area. Yemen's status before war as a "failed State" has merged with war to create critical lasting challenges (Cordesman, 2017). Yemen has been facing widespread corruption, diminishing resources, very high unemployment, poverty, political partitions, and recurrent conflict even before war (Kendall, 2020). During war, Yemeni people have found themselves in a fragmented country with a distorted economy, its social unity torn apart and narrow paths forward – often to the theatre of war and distress (Al-Jeddawy, 2022). War has been currently taking a huge psychological and material trauma on Yemeni young students as their schools and universities are being deliberately under attack (Qasem, 2017). The country is in keen need to sustain peace and face Yemen's economic and progress ch allenges which is possible only through education, research, and effective mobilization of human and natural resources in the country (Zakham, Vapalahti, Lashuel, 2020). This study is an attempt to explore the context of English learning at universities. It tries to investigate the challenges faced by undergraduate students to carry on their education in conflict zones. It seeks to understand the effect of civil conflict on the progress of higher education to suggest an immediate remedy to the adequate design of policies geared towards those individuals who have been affected by violence and faced by many obstacles. The possible significance of this study is threefold. First, the study will endeavor to reveal the setting of higher education in the English departments in the conflict zone, Yemen. Second, the study will disclose the intricacies that are involved in augmenting performance of learners in conflict zones and suggest some points to be followed in order to upgrade the current higher education system. Third, the study will provide recommendations to government, disputed parties and even international community for rescuing the future of young people.