Yemeni Teachers Union has leveled serious accusations against the Houthi group, alleging a systematic effort to supplant qualified educators with unqualified individuals and forcibly impose sectarian curricula in areas under their control.
The union, in a statement released Saturday, detailed a surge in complaints from teachers and parents. These grievances reportedly outline Houthi-led alterations to school curricula and what the union decried as "arbitrary measures" targeting educational personnel, including forced transfers, dismissals, and the alleged conversion of some schools into platforms for partisan indoctrination.
According to the Teachers Union, the Houthi curriculum revisions are particularly concentrated in the elementary grades, representing a "dangerous attempt" to instill a sectarian ideology in young students and transform schools into vehicles for disseminating specific political and religious viewpoints.

The union issued a strong condemnation of these curriculum changes in Houthi-controlled areas, labeling them a "blatant violation of the constitution and existing laws." They further asserted that these actions fundamentally undermine the educational process and directly attack the intellectual, cultural, and national identity of students.
The statement also denounced the Houthi efforts to replace competent teachers with unqualified individuals and impose their agenda through coercion. The union warned that these practices endanger education, disrespect educators, and pave the way for the "booby-trapping" of the education system and its destabilization.
The Teachers Union highlighted the emergence of what it described as a "division of education into two systems" – one governed by the Houthis and the other adhering to the official state system. This development, the union argued, signals a perilous fragmentation of the unified education framework and jeopardizes the future of education across Yemen.

The union urgently appealed to all relevant stakeholders, including fellow unions, civil society organizations, and educational institutions, to stand united against these alleged violations and to intervene immediately to halt what it characterized as the "tampering with education and childhood in Yemen."

The accusations follow a prior controversial decision by the Houthi authorities, announced on April 30, 2025, to ban the teaching of the English language in the first three grades of basic education in all public and private schools within their controlled territories.
A circular issued by the Houthi-affiliated Ministry of Education, reviewed by "Bran Press," mandated the replacement of English language instruction in these early grades with an increased focus on the Quran and the reinforcement of Arabic reading and writing skills.
The Houthis defended this decision by claiming that the introduction of foreign languages, particularly English, at an early age had "negatively contributed to the decline in students' academic performance." They argued that this necessitated a curriculum overhaul to prioritize Arabic language skills from the initial years of schooling.