Taiz, Yemen — Schoolgirls Describe Fear, Resolve to Stay in School

Schoolgirls in Taiz, in southwestern Yemen, told the BBC they are "terrified but want to get an education," describing classes held in the middle of a civil war that has kept millions of Yemeni children from school, according to BBC News.

What Is Happening at the School in Taiz?

The BBC reported from a school in Taiz where children described continuing to attend despite fighting nearby. The city sits near front-line positions in the war between forces loyal to Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Houthi movement, according to the BBC. A related BBC headline cited in the same report describes children "brave[ing] snipers and mortars to go to school near Yemen's front line," underscoring the physical risk families are weighing against the value of continued schooling.

Who Is Fighting in Yemen, and Why Does It Affect Schools?

The mechanism driving the disruption is straightforward: a civil war pits Yemen's internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia, against the Iran-backed Houthis, per the BBC. Where front lines run through or near population centers such as Taiz, school buildings, staffing, and safe routes to class become contingent on which areas are contested, shelled, or held by which side on a given day.

Timeline: From Escalation to the Classroom

• Before the latest escalation — UNICEF estimated that roughly 3.2 million children in Yemen were already out of school, according to figures cited by the BBC. That baseline reflects years of conflict-driven disruption to the education system, not a single recent event.
• Last month (September 2026) — The BBC reports the conflict "escalated," a shift that sits before the 3.2 million figure's cutoff and frames the current reporting from Taiz.
• This week — The BBC visited a school in Taiz and filmed children describing fear alongside a determination to keep attending, in a report published Oct. 6, 2026.

How Many Children Are Out of School, According to UNICEF?

UNICEF's figure of about 3.2 million out-of-school children, as reported by the BBC, predates last month's escalation — meaning the number almost certainly does not capture any additional disruption since fighting intensified. The BBC report does not provide an updated post-escalation figure, and HTT News found no newer UNICEF count in the source material to cite.

What to Watch

• Whether UNICEF or other UN agencies issue an updated out-of-school estimate reflecting the escalation the BBC says occurred last month.
• Whether humanitarian or education-access corridors are negotiated for front-line areas like Taiz, where the BBC says students already travel through contested ground to reach class.
• Any statements from the Saudi-backed government side or the Houthi administration addressing school safety in areas each controls; neither is quoted directly in the BBC report.
• Follow-up BBC or wire reporting on the specific school featured in Taiz, including whether classes continue uninterrupted through the next phase of fighting.

The BBC's report does not name the school, the number of students affected, or officials on either side of the conflict, limiting independent verification of conditions beyond what the children told BBC reporters on camera.