SANYA MORADI

Sine - The new academic year began with anxiety and concern for families in the poor neighborhoods of Sine. Rising costs during school registration threaten the right to education, especially for children from low-income families.

Families face numerous expenses, including registration fees, books, uniforms, insurance, and even janitor salaries. The more increase in book prices in recent years has further strained families. Kindergarten registration fees have reached between 12 and 18 million Tomans. These conditions are forcing many parents to keep their children from school. Public schools are not supported.

Masume Muhammedi, a mother of three living in Naysar, describes their difficulties: “We live in Naysar, one of the suburbs of Sana'a. Public schools in this area are among the lowest in terms of healthcare and social services, but the costs are the same as those in the upper parts of the city, and this makes no sense. My daughter and son, who are in sixth and fourth grade, have registration costs of 500,000 and 350,000 tomans, respectively. But this is just the beginning of the costs: uniforms, books, and other expenses they charge us throughout the year with various excuses and no flexibility. All of this has left us in a difficult situation.” "My children are malnourished."

Masume Muhammedi, explaining that in addition to her children, she also cares for her two nieces and nephews, expresses her financial difficulties: "We are renters, my husband is a laborer, and I can't hold down a permanent job because I have to care for the children. However, when I can, I make knitted goods, prepare lavash and pickles, and go to the fields during the chickpea and flower harvest season, but none of this covers even a small portion of our living needs. The children are often sick due to malnutrition. The pressures of life have made me depressed, but I can't even talk about my illness because I'm responsible for a family of eight and I don't have the right to talk about myself."

"I took my daughter home."

Masume Muhammedi, explaining that school fees, in addition to all the expenses, are a strain on her family, says, "This year, I have to pay twelve million tomans for my daughter, who attends kindergarten, which is the cheapest price, and in some schools, the figure can reach eighteen million. Kindergarten is compulsory, and you can't enroll her in first grade without preschool. Because I couldn't afford that, I took my daughter home." Masoumeh Muhammedi continued:

“If wartime conditions arise, schools have announced that education will be online. This is another problem; we need to establish the Shad program and have phones that no child has. This means half of the activities are done at home and requires a mother with a sufficient education, and my literacy is limited.”

‘I will never forgive myself’

“My only hope is that the children can continue their education. I will never forgive myself if they are forced to leave school,” Masoumeh Muhammedi said. Finally, she added: “If we complain, they tell us to hand the children over to a social welfare institution. We can’t do that; they also suffer psychologically. The committee and the social welfare institution are not helping either, saying you are a parent and have no right to anything. There are thousands of families like ours; why shouldn’t they receive government support? Children are forced to leave school, and very few of them benefit from their right to education.”